Blood Sacrifice
by LineChokor
Summary: Cato is from District 12, a Mellark boy, and has a crush on Katniss Everdeen. So when she volunteers to save Prim, and Peeta gets picked, he makes history when he also volunteers. What will happen? Will Cato tell her about his crush? Will she ever love him? Join us to find out. Kato/Catoniss obviously. Co-written. Rated M just in case
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, this is obviously my first fanfic here, I am co-writing this with a friend of mine. I personnally love Catoniss, I mean Alexander and Jennifer together is just amazing. Anyway, here is the story. Hope you like it. And please, review. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. If I did, it would have been a love square, not triangle. :D**

The story of opposite people that have never met but have the same heart. The story of cruelty, hardship intertwined with love and romance. A story that touches the anger deep set in your heart and will set a tear rolling down your cheek.

Cato woke up, sweaty from a horrifying nightmare. He gasped for his breath. It wasn't his fault, everybody has the right to feel fear in their hearts. It was Reaping Day.

He started to breath normally again and look at the clock on his side. It was only 5.30 in the morning, but he could barely breathe, let alone sleep. He ran his hand through his blonde hair and got up.

He made his way through the coal-ridden streets of District 12, to the Meadow. It was a place only a few brave souls dared to venture, or more likely in District 12, where a few hungry mouths desperate for food. He slid under the fence that was supposed to be running with high-voltage but since electricity is as rare as food, Cato could easily slide through the loose gap. He jogged across the empty plain towards the green lush forest, dark but he has been used to it. It has become his place of heart for many years. Cato tried to calm down, breath slowly but the horrifying thought kept that at bay. Would she survive the 74th Hunger Games Reaping or will she be shoved into a deep dark destiny filled with blood and violence?

The mere thought sends a blood curdling scream to escape his mouth.

Suddenly, he hears a sudden movement in the bushes by his right. As his hunter's instinct kicks in, he swiftly turns to face him. His brother, Peeta. Only a year younger but the age difference is very visible. Him, being tall, slightly darker, dark blonde hair, blue eyes but Peeta was different. He was shorter, fairer than him, bright blonde hair that shone as the sunlight hit it, and his eyes. His eyes were the most perfect color of blue, almost sky like, as if his eyes were painted to match it. He was carefree and kind unlike Cato who was hostile and stubborn.

. "What are you doing here?" he asks him meeting his eyes, only a breath away. Peeta just shrugs.

"I heard you go out, so I decided to follow you. I know how you feel, Cato, but just let me help you. Please" you could practically hear the pleading and sorrow in his voice but it was quickly masked by his smile.  
"There's nothing you can do, Peeta." He says knowing that Peeta knows what is on his mind. As he walks away from him, he stops when he hears his sentence. "I know you love her, Cato." Peeta says keeping his steady eye contact on his brothers.

Tears rim his eyes and just as one falls down his cheek, he quickly wipes it away harshly with his sleeve and turns. "Yes, I love her. But as I said, there's nothing I can do. I am powerless over the reaping" he says keeping his wobbly emotions as steady as he can, but it was like an inexperienced tight rope walker on his first show. He slumps his body on a nearby tree. Peeta walks towards his brothers, a cloud of depression hanging over him. "I-I well. I know, Cato. We'll have to see." Was his only answer, sane enough for this crazy moment.

Cato sits there, just until noon. The time came inching nearer and nearer, death was as close as can be. He sighs but makes his way home, preparing for either the break of his heart or the relief of it. But something in his heart keeps saying that the odds were not in her favor at all.

Deep into the woods, Gale and Katniss were feasting on their game, with bread that Gale traded the baker for, along with Lady's, Prim's goat, cheese.

"We could do it, you know." He suddenly says, turning to Katniss, who was looking at him questiongly. "Go to the woods, elope to the woods. We'll survive." He pauses, to see that his companion was staring at him incredulously. "If we didn't have our families of course." He quickly continues, afraid of the look in her eyes.

In fact, Katniss didn't mind escaping. Not at all. But she minded the word he used. "Elope". That word made them look like lovers. When in fact, she was against all nice feelings. The only love known to her was her sister's love, and that's it. A love from a mother was put in question, because her mother wasn't exactly an appropriate one, have fallen in depression after her husband's death.

The mere thoughts of her father brought tears into her eyes, she quickly packed and went back to her house, where Prim and her mother, were waiting for her. Prim was in her sister's previous reaping outfits. Nevertheless, she looked beautiful in it.

"You look beautiful, little duck." Katniss referred to her sister's nickname, trying to ease up the tension. It worked.

"Quack quack." Prim replied. They both laughed.

After showering and wearing a blue, hand-me-down, velvet dress, the 3 girls (that's what they were, because Mrs. Everdeen's state of mind enabled her of being an adult. So you can say she was a child trapped in a grown woman's body.) waited in the living room. Feeling the urge to do something reassuring to her sister, Katniss crouched down to her sister's level, put one hand on her cheek in reassurance and offered her, her father's mockingjay pin. A golden circle, with a mockingjay in the middle, a bow sticking out of its mouth.

"To protect you." She says, smiling. Prim looks down with surprised eyes.

"Really?" Prim chokes out. Katniss nods, flashing her beloved little sister one of her rare smiles.

Suddenly, the honk sounded, breaking their little bubble. It's time to go to the Reaping.

The static of the microphone sounded throught the Town's Square as Effie Trinket, the district 12 escort, walks out of the Justice Building, looking bubblier than ever, all in pink. That's why her pale white skin stands out. Is that her skin color or is did she drown in powder?! Katniss will never ever understand the Capitol's fashion.

She stands in front of the microphone, and looks out on the district. She is thinking about the filth and poverty of the district, and praying to God, like every year, to get shipped into a better district. She opens her mouth and delivers the famous lines "Happy Hunger Games. And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor." She says it in slow motion, building up the anticipation. Little did she know, that everyone was dreading these few passing moments.

The screen projects the annual video about the war and the Dark Days. Already having to watch it before, Katniss turns around and glances at Gale.

Unsurprisingly, he's starring right back at her. One look at her facial expression, and his usual smirk falls. He mouths the words "Everything's going to be okay." but deep inside, they both know it's not. But Katniss just nods, and for the sake of their four years friendship, she throws in a nervous smile.

She loves Gale, as a brother of course. He's always been there for her. They hunted together, joked together, and supported each other in every single way. Gale was the second person she let in after her father's death, after Prim of course. Her mother was in no shape to be trusted. Both physically and mentally.

Everyone around them suspected of a little fling going on between the two of them, but they just laughed it off, earning her loathful glares from the girls in their school, and he jealous glances from the guys. They could've been a couple, if it weren't for Katniss ignorance in the matter. Everyone saw the way Gale looked at her. Everyone but her.  
She was one of the most coveted girls in the district - heck, even in the entire district- because of her olive skin, chocolate hair, her attitude, but importantly, her eyes. Those grey orbs that set everything and everyone on fire. The eyes that reflected the burning desire in her to protect her loved ones. No matter how much of a mask her face was, those eyes were the giveaway. Under the layers of stubbornness, there was vulnerability. It was what attracted most to her. Everyone wanted to make it up for her, even if she didn't know it.

The video's over, which makes Effie Trinket bounce over to the girls' ball, and dig with her manicured fingers a little deep, and choose a lone paper.

Everyone's holding in their breathes, awaiting to hear the name of the misfortunate ones. You could hear a pin's drop because of the silence.

Before Katniss could wish for anyone's safety, Effie was sauntering over to the microphone, and speaking into it.  
"Primrose Everdeen."

_No, no, no._ Katniss thought to herself _it's impossible, her name's been only there once._

Before Prim could even make a step forward, Katniss's voice filled the Square.

"I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute." Gasps could be heard from all around. No one ever volunteers in District 12.

But one blonde guy in the audience, wasn't surprised at all. He feared this. He knew if her sister got picked, she, in no doubt, would volunteer to save her.

A lone tear slid down his cheeks, as he mentally said his farewells to her.

Cato Mellark was going to lose the love of his life.

**A. N. How was it?! Good? Bad? Tell me all about it in a review!:)**

**Love.**

**Line & Lea.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry guys for the long wait. My partner Lea was at her boarding school, and couldn't send me her writing until Friday, and i continued it yesterday. So forgive me. On the other hand, YOU GUYS! Thank you so much! 13 reviews?! ON MY FIRST CHAPTER?! That's amazing! Thank you reviewers, the one who followed and favorited. You don't know how much that made my day!**

**Also, Peeniss and Catoniss shippers, don't kill me because of this chapter okay?! I wanted this to happen, ever since I read the book. But just to be clear, this is NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE, A GALENISS! That was just to ease your mind!**

**I hope you enjoy it. And please review. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games series with all its glory, sadly.**

Cato's P.O.V.

My head spins around, I feel extremely lightheaded. Katniss was heading off to her death, without her knowing the burning desire that consumed me for so long.

My girl was standing on stage, head held high, struggling with keeping her mask on. I am sure that she is already thinking of a game plan. She is going to try so hard to come out alive. To come back to Prim. I don't doubt it for a second.

Her eyes suddenly shifted to mine, and my breath hitched in my throat. Under her mask, I could see the dread in her eyes and features. She was nothing but a scared teenage girl, heading off to her imminent death, hiding behind the persona of the strong one.

I wanted to reach out and hug her, comfort her, rain kisses all over her, but I pushed that demanding urge away, because I did not want to make a fool out of myself. That, and make her beat me.

Effie tilted the mike towards Katniss, and asked her, her name.

"Katniss Everdeen" You could barely hear the crack in her voice. A soft whimper could be heard from the back. It was Prim, sobbing, leaning on her mother, while the latter was desperately trying to keep her daughter's sobs down.

"Finally, we have some drama in District 12." Effie says, blatantly. I clench my fists at my sides, preventing myself from pouncing on that woman. How sick! They thrive on people's sorrow, anxiety, and fear. Typical of the Capitol.

When no one agreed with her, and everyone kept their blank expressions on, she tried to get the ball rolling again, and crossed to the boys' ball.

"Peeta Mellark." My breath is stuck between my lungs, and I could barely move. I was as still as a statue. No, I cannot lose him too. M younger loving brother, the one that hurt himself first before harming anyone. The sweet blond boy, my brother, that had a secret crush on my girl. I was not supposed to know that, but I once stumbled upon his glorious and endless art work. Every single one was beautiful. Angry Katniss. Happy Katniss. Sad Katniss. He perfectly captured every thinkable emotion, in her stance. In her smoldering eyes.

As Peeta tries to be as calm as possible, tries to make his way to the stage, I step forward. The still quiet crowd is suddenly shocked as my voice fills the area, loud and clear.

"I volunteer." I shout, m voice raspy, as I stumble forward.

Peeta pushes me back and says harshly. "What are you doing Cato? You're a fool." I push past him and run up the stairs of the broken stage and take my place beside Katniss. I stay rigid. Effie announces the two tributes of the 74th Hunger Games, in a tone too cheerful, and you can see the loathe and hatred in the people's eyes. I shake hands with Katniss, my harsh palms corresponding with her soft ones. Her eyes were full of hope. She knew she couldn't win. She knew that. But she wasn't going down without a fight. She had Prim to think of.

"She needs to come home." I whisper quietly to myself as Effie led us to our personal rooms.

I watch through the window, probably for the last time, coal-filled grey District 12 that is my home. The wooden oak door is opened. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was. Peeta.

"You can't stop me, Peeta. She needs to live." I say, gripping the hard window. Peeta takes his seat in one of the plush velvet seats. After what it seems as an eternity of silence between us, Peeta clears his throat. "You can win. Flee, don't fight." He says not looking directly in my eyes. I nod solemnly as the scent of nearby death almost seems to be peaking at the window. I give him a tight hug, tears brimming in my eyes, but I manage to keep a steady face. Tears made me look weak. And weakness was not what I needed in this desperate moment.

As I let go, I see Peeta's eyes filled with tears. "You did something good, Cato. You made me proud." He says as I wipe a tear that couldn't stand not to slip. "Send my love to mom and dad, Peeta."

"I will, Cato." I watch with a heavy heart as he turns the door slowly, the creaking sound scratching my heart. The room echoed an empty depressing sound.

I waited for some visitors, but time passed slowly, and no one else showed up.

At last, Effie came in and ushered me out. I see Katniss, tough and standing straight. This makes me determined. Determined to show the Capitol that we are no mere people at their services. We are warriors. We are strong, and fearless as of now. The seed of rebellion has been planted inside of me. I look into Katniss's eyes, the fire in them flickering its red flames at my heart, making it hard as steel.

Katniss's P.O.V.

We are on the train right now. I am all alone. Effie is doing God knows what. And Cato is gone, talking to Haymitch, trying to convince him to help us, after he rudely refused to properly mentor us. Cato seems willing to go back home. It seems that I have some competition. I wouldn't call him competition. I would call him a threat, with his ripped muscles, arrogant attitude. He could've been a Career, if he wasn't born in District 12.

Bored out of my mind, I walk through the carts, supporting myself on the walls. Boy, this train is fast. Navigating my way through the rooms, and eventually getting lost, I just sit on the floor. Back against the beautifully adorned wall, legs pulled to my chest, I rest my head on my knees, and let my mind wander to earlier today.

_I am shoved into a room in the Justice Building, where I would be saying goodbye to my family for the last time. Well, hopefully not the last time. I am planning on winning his thing, and get back to Prim. And even if I don't win, I will not go down easily._

_The doors open, and in walks Prim looking disheveled from crying so hard, followed by a dazed mother. Quickly, I'm standing in front of my sister, kneeling down to her level, and crushing her in a hug. I sniff her hair, trying to keep it in mind. This is probably the last time I am going to see her._

_That last thought snaps me back to reality. I let go of her, and say "Prim, listen, you are going to be alright. Gale is going to help you guys. You can sell cheese from Lady's milk. Just don't take any tesserae from them, it's not worth it. Okay?" she nods._

"_Just try to win. Maybe you can." I didn't have the heart to crush her hopes, so I just agree._

"_Yeah, maybe I can."_

"_You are smart. And you can hunt." I nod, not hearing her clearly. "Just promise me. Promise me that you are going to actually try."_

"_I will Prim. I will try to win. For you." She shoves her hand in her pocket, and gives me the Mockingjay pin that I gave her this morning. _

"_This is your district token, Katniss. To protect you." She says, sniffling. The sight of her like this is too much to handle, so I cradle her in my arms once more, before heading to talk to mother. I grip her arm, and take her to one of the corners of the room._

"_You have to be there for her. You can't shut down again. I won't be here to take care of you both. Alright?" I whisper urgently so Prim wouldn't notice._

"_I won't. You have my word." I bite down the urge to tell her I don't trust her or her word, so I just gather her in my arms as well. Prim finds her way into our embrace, and we stay like that, until the Peacekeeper decides that our time is finished. _

"_Stay safe." I yell, seconds before the door slams closed. I swear, I could still hear Prim calling my name, so I reach out my hand, wanting to twist the doorknob. But just when my hand touches it, it turns and Gale enters, tears streaming down his face. He knows. He knows that I probably won't make it back. I try to savor him, and launch into his strong sturdy arms._

_After a few minutes in the embrace, he pulls out, and looks at me dead on in the eyes. "You can do this, Katniss. I believe in you. Okay?" I nod. "Get to a bow and arrows. If there isn't, make one." He says before I interrupt. "That's your only chance, Catnip. You are one of the best hunters that I know. You will make this out of this mess." Before I can say anything else, he crashes his lips on mine. And I kiss him back, surprising us both. It felt right. His rough hands, the ones that could perfect a snare, were soft against my cheek. He pulls back, rests his forehead on mine, and closes his eyes. _

"_You have no idea how long I wanted to do that." He looks up at me. "I love you, Katniss. Come back to me." He said he loved me. He knows I won't say it back, but he's okay with it. Now I have another reason to come back home. Another promise I have to keep. Wrapped up in the moment, I just nod. "I will." He sends me a sad smile, before pressing another chaste kiss to the top of my head._

_Soon –too soon- the Peacekeepers enter and drag him out, because he wouldn't let go of me, nor me him. As he is being dragged out, he yells "Remember Katniss, I believe in you." The words are out of his mouth, and the door closes, leaving me again to my own thoughts, that threaten to drive me crazy. But that didn't happen, because I got rescued by another visitor. Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. He comes holding a paper bag. By the scent that filled my nose, it's pastries from the bakery. He hands it to me, I hesitate at first, but the mouthwatering smell overwhelmed me, so I take it, sending him a small "Thank you." He just nods in return._

_He just sits there, not saying anything, just staring at me, and frankly unnerving me. I was about to ask him what's his problem when he says "Katniss, I will take care of them." I just look at him, dumbfounded. Is he serious? Why would he even do that? He never talked to me, he doesn't even know me. "I will not let them starve." He continues. Peeta looks at me with those blue eyes, and I can't help but succumb and nod in appreciation. He abruptly stands up, and comes closer to me. My first instinct is to recoil back from him, but he just puts his hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture. "Good luck." And then, he's gone. Just like that. _

Distinct voices can be heard from nearby, I get up and head towards them. By the sounds of it, it's Haymitch and Cato talking. I strain my ears, and eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You've got to help me with this Haymitch." Cato pleads.

"How are you planning to do this, boy?" Haymitch gruffly says.

"I haven't figured that out yet. But District 12 is going to have a victor this year." I was right, Cato is determined to go back home. I have no chance, none whatsoever.

I walk away from the door, having heard enough, and bump into Effie, who happily shows me my room. The same room that many girls spent the night in before their Games.

I jump onto the bed, and sob. I sob for the unfairness of it all. I sob because of the Capitol's cruelty. But mainly I sob for Prim and Gale. My loved sister, and my best friend, who confessed his love for me. I don't know what to make of the whole situation, so I don't try.

I am lulled to sleep by the harsh rocking of the train. But before oblivion consumed me, one thought takes its place in front of my mind.

I am going to break two promises, and I can't help it.

**I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Lea and I, we are not Americans, and English isn't our first language. So we apologize.**

**Review please. :)**

**Line & Lea.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am terribly sorry for the long wait, don't kill me please. I had midterms, and I didn't finish them until Wednesday, and I had school on Thursday, and Friday I was busy, so yesterday I wrote this chapter. But to make it up to you, it's the longest chapter yet. 3,215 words! No need to thank me!:D Well, you can review though. **

**We get to know a bit about Cato and Katniss's history. Tell me if you find the scene a bit, weird or anything. Oh and also, I have a surprise for you guys, you just have to read to find out.:D **

**Read the AN at the bottom.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It belongs to the great Suzanne Collins. Although, the idea is completely mine.**

Cato's P.O.V.

The ride to the Capitol is immensely depressing. I stare at the ceiling of my room, and let my mind wander. I remembered my conversation with Haymitch after he refused to help us win – no, not win, but fight- in the Games.

"_You've got to help me with this Haymitch." I plead._

"_How are you planning to do this, boy?" Haymitch gruffly says._

"_I haven't figured that out yet. But District 12 is going to have a victor this year."_

"_Just a question: Why are you doing this?" He asks, looking at me with admiration._

"_I need to get her home, her little sister needs her" I say with a steely heart. I decide to confess what's inside my heart that has been eating me up for the few last hours, no years to be truthful. "Because I love her, Haymitch" I say hoping he would be able to keep his dark secret. "I'd sell my soul to have her home" I say watching his reaction through my eyes. _

_Haymitch sighs and says " I know you'll do that, but is that what you really want?" he says questioning me, making me think. Is my life worth hers? What about MY little brother? I shake my head and feel ashamed at my doubt when all this time this was what I was certain of._

"_Of course" I say a little loudly than I intended. He looks at me with a troubling glare but I only say "Goodnight Haymitch", seeing the tension of the games getting onto the both of us, and we are not even at the Capitol._

I do love her. I do. I've been in love with her since we were five, Peeta and I both. It's hard not to fall in love with her. I saw the love in her eyes when she volunteered in Prim's place. I wish I volunteered out of love for my brother. But I didn't. I did it out of selfishness. I wanted to be near her, talk to her. I didn't want Peeta to be able to do that, when I couldn't.

She is beautiful, inside and out. She is selfless, courageous, and stubborn, which I have to admire.

I had girls fawning over me and my brother in school, but we never paid much attention to them. Our attention was captivated by Katniss. She doesn't know the effect she can have on people. She is oblivious, which is also part of her charm.

I love her. I love her. And I wouldn't give it a second thought to sacrifice myself for her to live.

She needs to live. She needs to.

I close my eyes, wait for drowsiness to come.

Katniss's P.O.V.

I hear knocking on the door, and Effie's shrill voice announcing that "We have a big, big, big day" ahead of us. We will be arriving at the Capitol any minute now. I get up, and enter the bathroom. The splash of cold water on my face makes goose bumps rise on my skin. That's when reality sinks in. I am going into the Games, and I have to kill 23 other kids to get home to Prim.

I just wish I didn't owe one of those tributes.

_It's been two years after my father's death. Today, I was venturing alone in the woods because Gale was sick at home, Hazelle wouldn't let him out. He picked up the seasonal flu, which is quite traditional in this time. We are in the middle of spring after all._

_I was getting out of the Hob, after giving Greasy Sae her fair share of the game, when I got pushed against the Hob wall. A hand clamps down on my mouth, making me unable to scream for help._

_The horrible stench of liquor attacks my nose, and I look up unwillingly, to come face to face with the Head Peacekeeper Cray's ugly face. He smirks, showing his yellow teeth._

"_Well, what do we have here? The beautiful Katniss Everdeen." He says, blowing his nasty smell onto my face. "You know, it's such a shame, a beautiful girl like you, becoming an Avox." I narrow my eyes at him, I get where this is going. "If only there's a way from happening." A mischievous glint takes over his eyes. "Oh wait, there is." His eyes drop to my chest, then his meets mine again, before grabbing a little knife from his pocket. I start to wriggle under his hold, but he puts it against my throat. "Now listen here, darling, we're going to do this my way. Alright?" I stay still when he slices the front of my green V-neck, and I find myself thankful that I actually wore a bra today, even if a wore down one. My chest is now exposed to his curious eyes, and unsafe in front of his wandering hands._

_He removes his hand from my mouth, after giving me a stern look, daring me to scream, but leaves it on my neck. He leaves a sloppy wet kiss on the pulse showing there. I suppress a shiver from taking over my body. I squeeze my eyes shut, afraid of what is going to happen next._

_Mother told me once about it, the excruciating pain, the activity, the aftermath._

_I also know what happens when it's rough and forced. I am fighting a losing battle here, so I ball my hands into fists, and wait for this to be over._

_Just when his hands start their roam, his weight disappeared. I fall to the ground, my body not supporting me. I open my eyes, and squint. What I see shocks me. A blond boy is fighting with Cray, and apparently, the alcohol is kicking in, making the old man wobble on his feet, and fall down. But the blond wasn't taking any of that. He lifts Cray by his collar, and push him against the wall. Punches are flying around, the sound of skin against skin making my blood run cold._

_I just sit down on the ground, hug my knees, to have some kind of leverage, but also to hide the sight of my chest. I close my eyes, and rock back and forth, until heat engulfs me. My eyes snap open, and I almost gasp. The blonde attacker has me in his arms. That's when I really look at him, he's the baker son. I believe his name is Cato._

_I start to writhe violently in his arms, thinking he was going to hurt me too._

"_Let go of me." I scream._

"_Hey, calm down. I am not going to hurt you." He says, leaving my side. He takes off his shirt and throws it at me. I was going to reject it, until I realized I had nothing to wear. My shirt was ripped and soiled with sweat and dirt. I looked up at him expectantly, and he stared back. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't decipher._

"_What?" he asks dumbly. I look at him again, until he gets it. "Oh, right. Sorry." He turns his back to me, and I change into his shirt._

"_Thanks." I say, for giving me his shirt, and for saving me from almost being raped._

"_Don't mention it." He replies. I bend down to grab my game bag. When I looked up again, he was gone._

I went back home that day, cooked dinner, and never spoke of it again. The next day at school, I wanted to thank him again, but he never made eye contact with me. He never even acknowledged me.

I look into the mirror, and think. How am I going to get out of this mess? I don't just owe Cato, but I also owe Peeta, not just for the cheese buns, but for also saving my life years before his brother did. He saved my life when he threw that bread at me. Now I owe them both, and I hate owing people.

One thing I know, I can't kill Cato Mellark in the arena.

Cato's P.O.V.

Haymitch and I are eating breakfast. Effie is adjusting her makeup, and Katniss is nowhere to be seen. She must be in her room, getting ready. I take this chance to talk to Haymitch about our plan.

"Okay, Haymitch." I say to get his attention. When his eyes are on me, and not his flask, I continue, "I am going to try and attract sponsors, for my behalf and Katniss's, because she doesn't do well in making friends." He snorts. Well, she doesn't. She only has 2 friends; Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter, and Gale Hawthorne. I inwardly cringe at the thought of him. I never liked him. Always hanging out with _my _Katniss. Also, the look in his eyes never go unnoticed by me when she's around. "And of course, none of the sponsors' gifts will be sent to me. Right?" I stop, waiting for him to show some kind of reaction. He just grunts, taking a swig from his flask. I take that as a yes. "We already talked about this, Haymitch. She is going to win."

"I don't even know if she's skilled. How can I help her?" he questions.

"You're the mentor! Besides, she is extremely skilled. She keeps half of the district alive thanks to her kills. She is a hunter. A _survivor_." He just looks at me unconvinced, but before he could retort, Katniss walks in.

"What are you talking about?" She says, her voice a bit hoarse.

"How to find shelter in the games." I say quickly, throwing a pointed look at Haymitch. We already agreed that she isn't supposed to know about our little plan. He just looks at me, amusement written clearly all over his face.

"How do you find shelter?" she asks.

"Pass the butter, please." Ignoring her.

"How do you find shelter?" she asks again.

"Give a chance to sober up, sweetheart. This mentoring thing is extremely demanding." He is doing a good job in annoying her. She is gripping her silverware so hard, her knuckles are turning white. "Now, can you pass that butter?" She just takes the knife she was holding, and plunges it in the table, nearly cutting his fingers. I shake with laughter at the sight in front of me.

Katniss is beyond furious, Haymitch's eyes are wide with surprise. He looks at me, and I nod, a smile creeping up on my face.

"That is Mahogany." Shrieks Effie. And that was it, I burst out laughing, slamming my fists over and over on the table.

"Well, look at you. You just killed a placemat, and my eardrum, thanks to Trinket's squeaky voice over there." Katniss removes the knife, and stares expectantly at him.

"You want to know how to stay alive? You get people to _like_ you." He explains, putting emphasis on like. She double takes. "Weren't expecting that? The sponsors are the people who you need to impress." I suddenly feel like he's talking specifically to me, even though he is not establishing eye contact with me. "Their money, thus the gifts I send you, can make the difference between life and death in the arena."

Light changes outside the window. We are in the Capitol.

"There it is." I say, walking to it. If I am going to get sponsors, I should start now. Weird people are standing in the train station, waiting to catch a glimpse of the new tributes. My cocky and arrogant mode is on. I smirk and start to wave. "I am going to bring you home, Katniss. If it's the last thing I do." I whisper to myself.

Let the games begin. Let them begin for real.

Katniss's P.O.V.

I am being circled by three colored pets. Well, they aren't exactly pets, they are my prep team. They introduced themselves as Venia, a woman with aqua hair and gold tattoos above her eyebrows, Flavius, a guy with orange locks, who also have an obsession with coating his lips with purple lipstick every hour, and Octavia, a plump woman whose entire body has been dyed a pale shade of pea green.

Their company is quite enjoyable for such despicable people.

They chat idly while working on me, plucking my eyebrows, waxing my body hairless, combing my hair, painting my nails, and finally, scrubbing my body with lotion that leaves me raw, and a bit itchy. The whole process is immensely painful, but I just keep it in.

After they deemed me acceptable, they left all giddy, talking about getting a guy named Cinna. I just stay, naked, in my room at the Remake Center, until someone – presumably my stylist, Cinna- enters. He is normal, the only indicate that he a Capital citizen is the gold eyeliner that adorn the dark skin above his eyes. He doesn't even have the accent. I get this excited vibe from him, and I doubt that I'll like him.

"I would like to start off by saying, that you are extremely brave. What you did for your sister is selfless." He takes my cold hand in his. "I'm Cinna."

"Katniss." I introduce myself politely.

"I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Just so you know, I am here to help in any way that I can." He smiles tenderly at me, and I find myself liking this guy. But this is weird, why is he saying this to me?

"Most people congratulate me." I say, pursing my lips. "Are you new here?" I couldn't help my blatancy, and he doesn't look offended by it, but rather entertained by it.

"Yes, I am."

"So, of course, they assign you to the poorest district." He smiles widely at me.

"No, actually, I asked to be your stylist." I'm confused, who in their right mind would want to be the District 12, the poorest district, stylist? "Tonight is the Tribute Parade. Did Haymitch explain what happens, to you guys?" I shake my head. In fact, as soon as the train stopped, he hopped out and went to the bar with the District 11 mentor, leaving us to a cheery Effie. "We are going to show you off to the world. You are going to make a great impact." He grins widely at me, the way a mad man does. "I have the perfect outfit for you."

Remember when I said that Cinna is a sane man? Well, I am completely wrong. He is a mad man.

We are in the stable, before we head out to the City Circle, in front of me is Cinna, holding a lighter, the key to setting my black leather unitard on fire. My hair is in an intricate braid that goes around my head. Cato is beside me, wearing the same outfit. By the look on his face, he doesn't trust Cinna either.

"Are you sure about this, Cinna?" I ask. Suddenly, the thought of being naked and in covered in black coal doesn't sound too bad, compared to this.

"Absolutely. This fire is fake, it gives the illusion that you are on fire. You are safe." He explains. "You guys ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Cato responds. Once up on the chariot, all the courage that I once possessed vanished, replaced by anxiety. But then an image of Prim pops into my mind. She's the reason I am doing this, she is my strength, my everything. I imagine her at the reaping, weak, vulnerable, scared. That's all I need to fuel the fire inside of me.

We step into the City Circle, we are on fire. At first, the crowd is shocked, silence filling the air. But as soon as it came, it was gone, replaced by their deafening roar. They are crazy, they are shouting mine and Cato's name, but mostly mine.

As I cast a look at the screen above us, I understand all the fuss. We are beautiful. Fire engulfing us, the black makeup applied to my face clears out the color of my eyes. If I am this mesmerizing , I can't even imagine how Cato is looking, but based on the woman's cries, he is beyond beautiful.

We are strong and determined. We are dangerous and glorious. We are a force to be reckoned with. All thanks to Cinna. I feel ashamed that I questioned him all this time.

The chariot stops in front of the President's mansion, where he stands on his balcony, with all his eeriness, speaking through his puffy lips.

"Welcome. Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your sacrifice. And we wish you, Happy Hunger Games. And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor." As soon as he finishes his speech, we are ushered inside, where we are enveloped with compliments and hugs.

Everyone is looking at us, some with curiosity, and others with hateful glares. Of course, the Careers from 1 and 2 are among the ones glaring. That's when I really look at them and what they are wearing.

The girl from 1 is a beauty goddess, with her blond hair, blue eyes and curvy body. The boy is not as attractive as his district partner, but he isn't too bad either. He has black hair, brown eyes, and a lean body. They are wearing pink feathery outfits, with shimmering jewelry, which reflects their Districts specialty. Luxuries. Whereas District's 2 tributes are wearing golden roman gladiators outfits. How does that reflect on their district? They represent masonry, so why are they wearing that? To make everyone fear them, perhaps? Well, they sure accomplished that.

The District 2 girl is, shockingly, young. Not older than 15. She has that sadistic look on her that send chills down my spine. Her hair is covered by a golden helmet with wings, but from what I can see, her hair is brown. Her partner is, at first sight, extremely attractive. He has curly brown hair that falls to his forehead, with piercing green eyes, and a very muscled body. His bicep could be the size of my head alone. He is the definition of beautiful.

When his eyes lock with mine, I could almost feel the hate and resentment rolling off of him in waves. I stiffen. It's like he almost saw right through my calm façade. His eyes and posture promise something hurtful. My death will probably be at his hands. And I doubt it will be fast and easy. We just stole their sponsors, and they want their revenge. They are Careers, the ones who enjoy killing people. They are masochistic. My death will be bloody and gruesome. The mere thought of it has me widening my eyes in fear.

I could feel my unemotional mask slipping away at his stare, so I was thankful to Effie when she escorted us to the penthouse where we will stay before our slaughter.

"You were amazing, darling. You captivated them." Effie gushes.

Yeah, we got their attention all right, especially the Careers. But I am not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

The boy's from 2 stare is still fresh in my mind, that's when I realize: I am so dead!

**I hope you enjoyed this.**

**A few things:**

**1. I am publishing a THG story on here, I have already written the first 5 chapters, but I don't know if it should be a Catoniss or Everlark. So leave a review saying which one do you want me to do.**

**2. I want to know if I should make slower updates but longer chapters, or fast updates and really short chapters. **

**3. As you can see, I created a new character here, I have the name picked out, but I don't feel like it belongs to THG world, so if you have any suggestions for the name, mention it in your review please.**

**4. If you want to see anything happening, just tell me in your review, or PM me. I am always happy to know what my readers want to happen.**

**5. If you have any questions, just PM me.**

**6. REVIEW and help with the above please.**

**Line & Lea.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all the reviews and alerts and favorites. You have no idea how much that actually means to me! I love you guys so much even though I don't know and you don't know me, but I'm a sensitive person like that.**

**Right now, there's no votes for Everlark, but 3 or 4 for Catoniss, but since I won't publish it until I have a bunch of chapters done, you can still vote.**

**And also, this chapter is dedicated to the AMAZING HeyoMyFellowReaders101. This chapter wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her, she helped through the "I am a horrible writer" phase, and I thank her for that.**

**I made this chapter a long one because I felt bad about not updating in a week and a half. But I can't promise you faster updates though, because I am grounded. Yepp, no internet and no cellphone for who knows how long?!**

**And I had some people saying that Katniss would never give up that easily in a fight, just a quick reminder, that was not the Katniss that we know, she was still young, in the beginning of her being the way she is today. And also, she has a damn knife to her throat!**

**The characters may seem a bit OOC, so I apologize if that happen.**

**Anyway, enough of my pathetic rambling.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games trilogy. If I did, I would be rolling in money right now, not here.**

I wash the makeup off my face. I still don't get why any male should wear it, but hey, this is the Capital, unthinkable things are their trademark, kind of.

I smirk at my reflection in the mirror, if getting sponsors is as easy as making the ladies swoon tonight, then we will never run out of sponsors. And as much as I'd love to take credit for all that, I can't. All the attention was because of our stylists Cinna and Portia. They made us look impeccable, we were glorious, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of Katniss. We got all the attention, including the unwanted one.

I didn't miss the way that big brute from 2 looked at her. I stiffen just at the reminder of it. He looked bloodthirsty, ready to kill. It was obvious that we were his target. Not me, just Katniss. I need to protect her from this. I think I could take him on, we are practically the same size, thanks to my years of lifting heavy flour bags. That, and also me being the winner of our annual wrestling competition at school.

I inhale deeply, and let the bitter reality sink in. I am competing in the Hunger Games. I feel scared, mortified, excited, confident… disappointed. Disappointed because I won't be able to tell _her _ about my feelings.

Speaking of feelings, I don't know what Katniss thinks of all of this.

I made my way to her room, it was secluded from the others. I hesitate slightly before knocking on her door, nervous of her response at my late night coming. I hear the slight muffle of the sheets crackling indicating she was getting up. The door knob turn and there she stood. Even though her deep dark hair that matched perfectly with her eyes were tousled and messy, I couldn't help thinking how breathtakingly natural and how every detail of her face is beauty in itself as I watch under the moonlight that comes through the window. She looked at me with puzzlement, and finally asked "Cato? What are you doing here, at this time of night?" she said sleepily making me feel guilty of waking her up.

"Uh I-I just couldn't sleep, that's all" I said through stammers. We seemed to stare at each other for a long time, but her gaze was powerful but vulnerable at the same time. You could see the cracks of her world but she stood tall, proud.

Finally, I broke the silence with a smile and said "Can I come in? Sleep didn't come to me that much." She just motioned me inside. I thought carefully before following her. I sat on the edge of her bed as she climbed into the covers, watching me through her watchful eye.

"What?" she said. I didn't realize I had been staring at her for almost 5 minutes. I try to hide my red hot blush, embarrassed.

"Nothing, you just looked good tonight, at the ceremony" I say, shrugging. The end of her lips curve upwards forming that gentle smile that always graces her face in times when needed. But as soon as it came, it was gone.

"How do you feel, Katniss? About all of this" I said directing my question but keeping my gaze towards the floor.

"I feel.." she paused to take a breath, as if the mere thought drowned her, "lost." She finally says. The word is odd, never passed through my mind but somehow matches the situation. I look up, and had to fight the urge to somehow kiss her. There she was, her eyes were brimming with tears, but it seemed like she never realized the flow of the tears on her soft cheeks. She wipes the tears streaming down her face with her sleeve and looks away.

Katniss's P.O.V.

Lost. I have no idea what came over me to make me blurt out that word. I just looked into his eyes and I felt compelled to refrain from lying.

Awkward silence filled the air, I just had to break it.

"I think you should leave." He looks at me as if he's noticing me for the first time, I obviously broke his train of thoughts. He just gets up and leaves, not sparring me a second glance.

"Don't show your skills." Was the first thing Haymitch said when I entered the room for breakfast. He was sitting across from Cato, whose attention was captivated by the food on his plate.

I just nod in acknowledgement. I busy myself with my food, there's so much here that could feed my whole district for a month. I stop mid-bite and put my fork down on the table, and wipe my mouth with a napkin. I feel ashamed that I get to have this luxury –even if for a while- when my district is living in poverty. Prim deserves this more, but I couldn't let her face this. My mind wander to my sweet, little, innocent Prim. Who is she holding up without me? Did she watch yesterday's parade? What does she think of me?

Thankfully, Effie comes in to collect us, she ushers us to the elevator. When its door opens, they reveal a huge room, filled with weapons, and stations to learn in, and in the center, tributes standing in a circle around a toned woman, the instructor.

Shit, we're late.

I move to stand in the circle with others, and try to listen to what the instructor is saying. She's saying something along the lines of "Don't be cocky and ignore the stations" and listing the main causes of death in the arena.

Halfway through her instructions, I sense someone's eyes on me. I turn to find yesterday's piercing green eyes looking at me. The boy from 2 is glaring again. He doesn't try to hide the look of hatred showing on his face. He broke eye contact to talk with his district partner who nudged him to get his attention. He lowered his head to her ear level, and whispered something to her. Her eyes shifted to me, as well as his, and they both started sniggering.

Underneath the layers of amusement in their eyes lies immense hatred. I feel like they are eating me alive with their eyes. Goosebumps stand on my arms and I look away quickly.

When Atala, the instructor, dismisses us, I eye the silver bow and arrows hungrily, my hands itches at my sides to touch it. I don't care what Haymitch says, I want to shoot with the bow. Before I can make another step, Cato's voice stops me.

"Don't even think about it." I look at him in annoyance.

"It doesn't concern you." I say impatiently. I want to be near the bow. Besides, who is he to tell me what to do?

"Well, it does concern me, because if Haymitch finds out about it, he'll stop mentoring us, not that he's doing that great of a job right now, but in case you missed it, I want to go home. I am _not _ losing my chances of survival because of _you_." He snaps, anger showing in his icy blue eyes.

I exhale sharply, and head for the first station that I spot. Plant identification station. The instructor is extremely happy that he has a student. Apparently, no one comes here. He looks behind me, and almost recoils in fear. I turn around and see Cato following me.

"Why are you following me?" I ask bitterly.

"Haymitch asked me to stay by your side. We need to seem like a team." He just shrugs.

"We are not a team." I say, confused.

"I know we are not, but he wants that. Who are we to say no to him? He did win this thing once."

"Wait, I am confused. Why didn't he tell _me _about it?" He smirks.

"He knew if he told you, you'd refuse. Not that you're doing otherwise right now." I scowl at him. the guy that was in my room last night, the one who complemented me, is long gone, replaced by this arrogant, Career-like, guy. It was all an act to get in my head. Cato is smarter than he looks.

I turn back to the instructor and smile at him in reassurance. He seemed to believe me because he carried on with his explanation like nothing happened.

I, of course, excelled in plant identification, thanks to years of hunting, and dad's plant book. At the knot station on the other hand, I needed help. Gale is the snare master. I kept doing it over and over again, until I gave up. I know some basic snares that he taught me, that would be enough. It would be able to hold an opponent long enough for me to run for my life.

My failure was nothing compared to Cato's, his big hands enabled him from making a proper snare. I smile at his ignorance until I remembered that I am not supposed to be friendly with him. He is the enemy, and he made it very clear that he wanted to win.

I get up and make my way towards him, crouch down next to him, take the snare from his hands and showing him the way to do it right.

"Thanks." I nod, gulping, and taking another rope to do it myself.

I look around to access the competition, but mainly the Careers. The girl from 1 is trying to shoot with the bow, she misses every time. I suppress the urge to go over there and show her how to do it _properly_. She goes to every other weapon station, where she fails miserably every stinking time, until she arrives at the knife station. She attempts to handle a knife until the girl from 2 goes over to her, and snatch it from her hand. With a flicker of her wrist, the knife goes flying until it hits the center of the training dummy.

I stare at her wide-eyed, her stance is not even right. Obviously, she is a knife master. How long has she been training for her to be able to do that?

My eyes travel to the District 1 boy, he's standing in the shooting lane, about 50 feet away, holding a medium-sized spear. He throws it, to have it lodging in the virtual throat of the dummy. He fixes his shirt smugly, a sick grin on his face.

Lastly, the boy from 2 is moving from weapon station to another, handling every weapon with agility and perfection, until he stops at the sword station, where he shops off the dummies'… everything. He must feel my eyes on him, because he turns around, and stare right back at me. His eyes show malicious mischief, and he smirks at me, flexing his muscles. I stare at him, disgusted and appalled. He is strong and he knows it. He is conceited, he has the qualities to make a Career. I never thought that they would be this strong. Except the girl from 1.

"They are Careers after all." I turn my head to look at Cato. I didn't realize that I voiced my thoughts out loud.

"I know they are, but I never imagined them to be _this _strong." I clarified. "We may not have a chance to win with them around." His eyes soften a bit, but it's like he catches himself doing it, and he stops it. Soon, his eyes return to their cold appearance.

"Well, we have to do something about that. Don't we?" He smirks cunningly. I lift my eyebrows.

"What do you suggest we do then?" I play along.

"I'll talk to Haymitch, convince him that we need to show our strength tomorrow or the day after, tell him we need to practice, that we're getting rusty." He explains. The idea is not bad actually. I'd go along with anything, as long as it involves me handling a bow. But I still have my doubts about it.

"Are you sure your plan is going to work?" I ask.

"I convinced Haymitch to mentor us, didn't I?" He retorts. I wanted to reply with a snarky comment, but a shadow suddenly loomed over us. The giant from 2 is standing behind me, trying to hide the disgusted look on his face. I look at him expectantly and he just sighs.

"Hello, _twelve_." He spits the word out, like it's poison on his tongue. I look over at Cato, and he just shrugs in return. The Career looks at him, then at me.

"Can we talk alone." He addresses me, but looks straight at Cato.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks me. He takes his eyes off of the Career just enough to see me nodding in assent.

With a huff, he turns around and goes to the agility station, next to the camouflage.

"So what's up, Fire Girl?" I scrunch my face at the nickname. Really?! He had nothing better to call me?!

"Oh, nothing. Just casually training for the Games, trying to survive. And I have a name, you know." He chuckles.

"Snarky, I'll give you that. And can you give me the honor of knowing your name?" He slightly bows.

"Well, it's not Fire Girl, that's for sure." I snap and turn back to my knot.

"My name is Damien. What's yours?" I sigh internally. Why does he want to know? That would just be a step for us to be acquaintances, and I certainly don't want to get to know him.

"What does it matter anyway?"

"It doesn't. I just want to know. Call it curiosity." I look into his eyes, and discover that underneath his show of niceness , lurks the evilness. He's just trying to get in my head. Well, the joke's on him. I am not easy to deceive. But for now, I'll just play along.

"Katniss. Katniss Everdeen." He smiles in triumph. He seems to believe me. Gale always says that I am a great actress, able to hide my feelings. It's about time that it came in handy.

"Enchanted. I'm Damien Hadley." He holds his hand out for me to shake. I look at it, until he gets the hint and let it fall to his side. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, I return to my practice.

I thought he was gone, until his voice fills my ears again.

"So what are our secret skills?" Surprised, I drop the rope and turn around to face him.

"I have no skills." I say, somehow steadily.

"Uh uh. I doubt that. You've been avoiding the weapon stations like the plague, but you still inspect the ones practicing with them with a yearning look on your face, and no one does that unless he has something to hide." He smirks. "So, what are you exactly hiding?" I exhale and try to make my voice as truthful as possible.

"I have absolutely nothing to hide." I smile at the end for good measure. But it doesn't fool him. He clenches his jaw, balls his hands into fists, and his green eyes cloud over.

"Fine, Fire Girl. I'll find out, one way or another." He snaps and storms off to the other Careers.

I suppress a smirk from showing on my face, but it keeps on tugging anyway, until it makes an appearance.

I stare at him, and notice that his District partner is glaring daggers at me. I level her glare with one of my own. She didn't like that, because she mouths the words _You're mine_ to me.

I. Am. Dead.

Cato's P.O.V.

I am standing with Thresh, the District 11 tribute, who's helping his district partner, Rue, climb a net. He is extremely close to her, something about a distant blood relation.

I am watching Katniss as she interacts with the big guy from 2. I feel the urge to hit him bubble inside of me. Jealousy courses through my veins, and I shake from the intensity of it.

That urge rises when Katniss smiles at him. How could she smile at _him_, the killing machine from 2, and not _me_, her own District partner? Well, yeah, I am mean to her, but that's for her own good.

"Relax, man." Says Thresh. "I am sure they're just talking." I breathe in and out to calm myself, and keep from going over there and break whatever _talk_ they're having.

"I know they are." It doesn't mean I like it.

"You obviously care about her." He eyes me… happily?

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Good luck, man. I think she is one worth fighting for."

We are ushered out for lunch. In the cafeteria, I sit with Thresh and Rue, they both are good people. Emanating happiness even in this glum situation. I think that Thresh and I have an unspoken agreement, that once in the arena and the gong sounds, we'll team up together. We both are protecting something special to us. He is protecting Rue, and I Katniss.

I look around for her, she'd enjoy their company, especially Rue. She is not in here, she must be in the training room.

_Oh, no!_

I quicken my step on the way to the practice room, she shouldn't use the bow now. I open the doors quickly, but quietly, to find her touching the silver bow on the stand slowly.

"Katniss, no." I grab her upper arm and lead her out.

"Why not?" she whispers. I get it, she wants to use it so bad. It's her leverage, and her weakness. Just like Prim. The bow is her only way to stay in touch with her father beside the woods.

"Not right now. Tonight. I promise."

"Okay."

We enter the cafeteria, and I let her go get some food. She looks around until she spots me. She comes over and sit next to Rue.

Just as I expected, the little girl had no problem captivating Katniss's attention, and I know what she sees in her, it's what I saw too.

Rue reminds her of Prim.

She smiles at her tenderly, and I am sure, she will kill herself if it comes down to her and the dark-skinned girl.

Thresh's previous words fills my brain again.

_She is worth fighting for._

Yes, she is. And fight, I will.

**I decided to end it here because honestly, I didn't know how to continue. But my friend said that she likes it, so… How do ****_you_**** find it?**

**Tell me all about it in a review. Flames are not accepted, but constructive criticism is.**

**Until next time…**

**Line. No Lea this time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, I am back sooner than I thought possible! Thank you for your kind reviews, the alerts and favorites. It means the world to me!**

**So, a lot of you liked the encounter with Damien. I am glad. Just hold on, you have no idea what I have planned for him. I introduced him for a reason. A BIG reason. And not just to replace Cato.**

**This is a success. I wrote this chapter in 2 hours. Even though I had writer's block. And it's not over 3000 words, but it's close to it, it's 2985 words.**

**This chapter is from Katniss's point of view. I don't know, Cato hasn't been speaking to me lately. BUT, there is a pleasant surprise at the end that will make way for the future Catoniss.**

**I am not very happy because how this chapter turned out. I have high standards for my writings, and this chapter has not excelled them.**

**Also, check out my other story "Life of a victim: Peeta Mellark", it's personal to me. In a way, I feel like I am Peeta. **

**Anyway, enough of my useless talk, LET'S READ!**

**Enjoy, and review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series, and never will.**

Katniss's P.O.V.

I close the door of my bedroom behind me before heading over to the living room, where everyone is sitting. Today's training went better than I thought, beside that encounter with Damien, the District 2 tribute. I had met the District 11 tributes, Thresh and Rue. Thresh is a guy of a few words, except with Cato and Rue, but I think he is good at heart. The way he looked at Rue is the same way Dad looked at me and Prim. He looked at her with love and sacrifice. She has him wrapped around her finger, but in a good way.

The little girl is adorable, she even had me wrapped around her finger! I felt sorry for her, she is too young. She won't have the chance to get a future, to grow up. She told me about her family back home, how she is the oldest and the responsible one of her four siblings. At this point, I don't know if her being here is a blessing or a curse.

I enter the living room and sit between Haymitch and Cinna, far away from Cato. I really don't want to get close to him and have to kill him in the end.

They're watching a show about last year's Hunger Games. I remember it; the arena was in the middle of nowhere, literally, in the middle of a ruined city, with no weapons or even a Cornucopia. Tributes had to fight using rocks and pebbles. It was too gruesome, so I put Prim to bed early every day for a week. It was extremely short.

They are showing the finally, where a tribute is practically sitting on the other tribute, pounding his skull with a rock. A shiver runs through me at the inhumanity of it all.

"This moment is a moment you never forget. The moment when a Tribute becomes a Victor." Caesar Flickerman says to his co-host Claudius Templesmith. It makes me sick to think that they enjoy this when our life is on the line. But they are Capitol people, what do you expect from them?

I turn off the TV, disgusted and look at Cato who has turned pale at the scene.

"Well, let's eat." Says Haymitch, getting up. I shake my head, I don't think I can eat after what I just saw, but I accompany them anyway.

"So, how was training sweetheart?" Haymitch asks me when I join them, seconds later, on the table.

"It went good." I respond. I don't want to tell him about my talk with Damien. I don't know why, but a voice in my head is telling me not to.

"Have you considered anyone to ally with?" Without even thinking, I reply with District 11. I see Cato nodding from the corner of my eye.

"Really? Is that who you're considering your allies? A twelve year old girl-"

"It's either that, or the Careers." I interrupt him. I see Cato's head snap up towards me at the mention of the Careers. "And they are not someone I'd ally with."

"And why is that?" he questions. I feel Cato's eyes on me, and I turn to look at him. He's giving me a look that clearly says "Tell him". I take a deep breath before starting.

"Well, I had an encounter with the District 2 tribute, Damien. It started off well –as good as it can be actually- but then he started asking me about my secret skill. I kind of panicked, but didn't say anything though. He stormed off, but not before saying he'll find out."

"Wow, you did the right choice, Katniss." Cinna comforts me.

"Yeah, you did." Repeats Haymitch. Now, it's my turn to throw the same look at Cato.

"Haymitch, we need to start practicing. I am getting a bit rusty." He says.

"I don't think so, kids. After what Katniss just told me, I bet that the Careers are going to keep close tabs on you guys. We can't afford to slip up now." He explains.

"But I need to practice with my bow." I insist. He sighs, rubbing his forehead.

"Tell you what, after dinner, we'll go down to the practice room, where you can practice all you want, and I'll even teach you some fighting techniques." He offers.

"But I thought that the practice room is off limits after hours." Cato says.

"Not to mentors. And there are no Peacekeepers there at night, and also no cameras. So, we're safe."

"Okay." I agree. Cato thinks about it, before he nods.

"Bring us desert, please." Effie demands some Avox. Someone sets a delicious-looking cake in front of us, and lights it. It blazes up until the flames flicker around the edges awhile until it finally gives out. I don't know why, but it fascinates me.

"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" I look up from it expectantly at Haymitch. He glares at me for it. I stare at him innocently. Of course I am going to connect anything alcohol related to Haymitch.

"Yes, it does. It contains spirits, but all of it is burned off." Cinna explains.

"We ordered it especially for your fiery debut." Effie says, smiling. We eat the cake and move into the living room where we rest, and then change, before we head to the training center.

Once there, Haymitch sweeps his mentor card against the lock and a small green light emanates from it, granting us access inside.

It feels so weird being alone, just the three of us, in this quiet room. I somehow got used to the sound of feet shuffling, people talking, using weapons and placing them back, and the laughter of the Gamemakers.

But as soon as my eyes spot the silver bow and arrows placed on a rack, all thoughts vanish from my mind, even Cato and Haymitch. I head straight for it, almost knocking weapons along the way, until I am standing before it.

At first, I just look at it, enjoying the mere sight of it. I hesitantly reach out to touch it, like it could easily crumble beneath my hands. The smooth feel of the metal is unfamiliar, my bows at home are made of wood, not metal. It brings back so many memories. They hit me full force. It reminds me of the woods. _My _woods. I can almost smell the pine trees, the smell of humidity. All those times with my father hunting. My first time shooting and failing miserably. After my father's death when I headed to the woods and shot at the trees to express my anger and frustration. Me meeting Gale.

I grasp it and lift it. It's heavy. I shift it from hand to hand, making the weight of it familiar to me before I throw the quiver filled with arrows over my shoulder and head to the shooting range.

I vaguely notice Haymitch and Cato standing side by side, silently watching me. I pick my target and stand in the correct stance. I notch the arrow, and pull the string back, but there's something wrong. The string is tighter than the one I use at home. I fire the arrow.

It misses. It freaking _misses. _

I look at Haymitch, who's smirking, with a knowing look on his face, and then at Cato, who has his mouth opened in shock. He must know that I am an excellent shooter, his father buys my squirrels. I hit them in the eye every time.

Embarrassed, I go and take the fallen arrow and head back furiously to my place. I grab the string and pull back and forth, getting used to the feel of it in my hands.

I notch the arrow again, take my initial stance and fire. The arrow lodges itself in the throat of the dummy. Not bad. Without pausing, I fire again and again at the dummies. It punctures the heart, the eye, the kidney. Everything.

I do it over and over again until I am all out of arrows. Satisfied with my excellent shooting, I turn back to my small audience. Cato is grinning like a fool, Haymitch just nods at me in approval. Close enough to a compliment from him. I detach the arrows from the dummies, put them in the quiver and place them back to their original place. Wouldn't want anyone to find out that we were practicing illegally.

"Okay, now that I know that you can shoot, sweetheart, let's see what the boy can do." Haymitch says. Cato nods before going to the heavy weights station. He grabs a big, heavy-looking metal ball with ease and throws it halfway across the room. He didn't even have to get used to the weight. I am impressed!

He grabs another one and throws it equally as strong. It lands a bit far from the last one. He heads over to the knife station where he epically fails. He tries the spear, he's not bad at it. I notice he stays away from the bow and I appreciate it. He lastly goes to the sword station. He moves with agility. I am guessing that this is his calling.

"Okay, so you know how to use a weapon. Now, how do you do in hand to hand combat?" Haymitch asks.

"I am pretty good. Where do you think I got these muscles from?" He smirks.

"Don't be cocky with me, boy." Haymitch gruffly responds.

They warm up together before standing across from each other in the center of the gymnasium. They put their hands in front of their faces for protection. I don't think this fight will last long. When you compare Cato to Haymitch, you'll find that Haymitch is a foot taller than Cato, but Cato is broader than Haymitch. Plus, Haymitch's age and alcohol consummation will not work in his favor.

Cato punches Haymitch in the jaw, and I wince. That's going to leave a mark. He stumbles to the side, one hand protecting his jaw, using the other to block another punch Cato threw. He is slow, but powerful.

Haymitch hooks one foot around one of Cato's legs and yanks back, knocking him to the ground, but surprisingly, he gets up fast, like he didn't just fall.

The guys face each other, hesitantly. I know that they don't want to leave marks that'll allow questions tomorrow. Haymitch brushes a blond strand of hair from his face.

He goes in for a punch, but Cato ducks in time, his neck shining with sweat, steps back of the way from another punch and hits Haymitch in the back.

I have to give it to him, Haymitch still got it after all these years. He charges at Cato and punches him in the jaw, the exact same place where Cato punched him. It didn't even affect him! He attacks Haymitch with the head lowered, hitting him on the forehead.

The light leaves Haymitch's eyes. They roll back to his head, and he crumbles to the ground, breathing heavily. Cato's eyes widen, and he crouches down next to Haymitch, tapping him roughly on the cheek, almost slapping him. A cold feeling settles in my chest, and I rush to his side and shake him the way you shouldn't shake someone who might have a concussion. He blinks, the life returning to his eyes. I exhale in relief.

"What the hell happened?" he asks sleepily.

"Well, I kicked your ass, that's what happened." Cato answers, chuckling. "Help me get him up." He instructs me. I do as I am told and we lead Haymitch to the wall, where we prop him up.

"You guys continue. I just need a moment." He assures us.

"Are you sure?" I ask, concerned. He nods in return.

I head back to the center and stand in front of Cato.

"Don't hold back." I tease, cracking my knuckles. I am not weak.

"Not my style." He smirks before launching at me. I step out of his way and hit him in the side. He gasps and grits his teeth. He goes for my midsection, but I grab his outstretched hand, twist and yank it forward. He falls to the ground.

I stop and offer him my hand. He takes it, but surprises me when he pulls me down. My brain doesn't register anything but him pinning me, the smell of our sweat filling my nose. Damn, he's heavy.

"Here's something you should learn, never offer help to the enemy." He whispers in my ear. I thrash under him but he is too heavy, and he won't budge.

With my free arm, I try to punch him in the nose, but he moves away. I punch again and again, and he's still moving out of the way.

I scream in frustration and punch him in the ear. That threw him off balance and I wriggle free. On my knees, once he's close enough, I kick him in the side. My foot would have connected with his side if he didn't grab it and yanked me. I am thrown off balance again, and my face hits the floor first, but I scramble to my feet again, fast.

The room is spinning too fast, and I throw a blind punch. Luckily, it hits something soft, his stomach, and he falls to his feet, the air leaving his lungs.

My ears are ringing, but I manage to hear Haymitch saying "Enough." I help Cato up and check him for any visible injuries. He is clutching his stomach with one hand, the other massaging his jaw.

"Are you two alright?" Haymitch asks us.

"Yeah. I am fine." I assure him.

"Me too." Cato says.

"Well, well. Looks like I have a couple of fighters this year." He says smirking. I nod. "Well, let's go tend to your injuries, boy." He helps Cato get into the elevator. "I can't believe that sweetheart totally kicked your ass." He teases.

"Yeah, me neither." Cato says. I used to spend days with Gale in the woods, learning how to throw a punch to protect myself after some rumors at school spread about some guys attacking a girl. I didn't tell Gale that the girl was me, and that it wasn't a bunch, just old Cray.

"Hey, Effie. Get me some ointment for the boy." He instructs as soon as the elevator door opens to our floor.

"Oh my. What happened, Haymitch?" she asks, handing him a can filled with some gooey stuff I am guessing is the ointment. He spreads it across Cato's jaw. He relaxes seconds after the ointment is applied.

"Oh, nothing. Just that sweetheart over here kicked the boy's ass and put him in his place." He explains, grinning. "Are you hurting, sweetheart?" he asks me. I shake my head. Surprisingly, I am not.

"Alright, go to sleep. Both of you. We have a big, big, big day tomorrow." Effie chirps. God, that woman is always happy! I help Cato get to his room.

"Sorry." I apologize once outside his door.

"It's all good." He says, smiling. "I didn't think you had in you."

"Believe me, neither did I." I say, slightly shaking my head.

"I'm sorry." He says suddenly.

"About what?" I ask, truly confused.

"About how I treated you today." He looks ashamed. I shake my head.

"You don't have to apologize. It's nothing." And it is really nothing. I would've done the same thing if the roles were reversed. We stand there, awkwardly looking at everything but each other. "So, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait," he calls after me when I turn my back to him. "I was thinking that if we were going to show a united front in front of other tributes, why don't we also do it in private?" I look at him, at a loss for words. Is he trying to get into my head or something? I search his eyes for any sign of malice or harm, like I saw in Damien's eyes, but I find none.

After thinking about it, it wouldn't hurt. Would it? I mean, I can have a strong ally in the Games, beside Rue and Thresh. We'll go our separate ways when we're a while in the Games, and if we ever meet in the arena, I would let him go. That way I'll have less kills and souls and guilt on my conscious, so why not?

"Yeah, I guess so." I give him an unsure nod, and he smiles in return.

"Great. Should we tell Haymitch about it though?" I think about it, we should tell him, he's our mentor after all.

"Yeah, I think he should know if he's going to help us. We kind of owe it to him." I say.

"Yeah, I agree with you." He yawns. "I am extremely tired. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I close the door behind me once in, lock it and go to the bathroom. I strip naked and step into the shower. I press some buttons and hot water descends on me. It relaxes me and my muscles. I massage my scalp with some watermelon scented shampoo.

Upon finishing, I grab a purple lace braw with matching panties and put them on, and slide under the comforter, wearing nothing but my underwear.

I think about today's event. The training, the encounter with Damien, the secret training. I smile at the little victory I have against Cato. If I can beat big, massive and strong Cato, I should be able to beat anyone.

I am a real competitor in these Games, just like the Careers, so why count myself out just yet?

My smile grows wider at the last thought. I shouldn't count myself out just yet. I am good, the training tonight showed that. Even Haymitch said it.

I am here to win this thing!

I am coming home for you, Prim.

**I would have written more, but I got tired and bored. Sorry :/**

**But anyway, did you like it? Review please. If this chapter gets at least 5 reviews, I am going to post a chapter this week.**

**Also, tell me what you want to see happening and if it fits to my plot, I'll make it happen, just don't be scared to give your opinion. :) **

**Check out my other story please.**

**Love.**

**Line & Lea.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the kind reviews so much. They encourage me to write more and faster, and this chapter proof of it. I wrote this, in like 5 hours with my writer's block, so yeah, you better thank me for it.**

**This chapter is a little light, funny. It's continuing from the ending of the last chapter. (What Cato said, not the last sentence) And we will have a bit of Damien in this chapter as well.**

**There's scene from the movie here, but most is made-up.**

**Okay, so let's start reading, and then, reviewing :D**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.**

My eyes flutter open as Effie knocks on the door, telling me to get up in her usual cheery way. I get up, surprisingly eager to train, and cross my way to the bathroom. As I imagine how the day is going to be, Damien's face pops into my mind. My hand stops mid-way to the faucet. Why did he just take control over my brain?

I shake my head to get rid of him, and turn on the cold water faucet. The cold helps containing my enthusiasm, bringing me back to reality, and shake the bad thoughts –also known as Damien Hadley- away.

I get dressed in my usual training uniform, braid my hair and make my way to the dining room. Haymitch's jaw is swollen and bruised from where Cato hit it last night, I am guessing he's hurting taking the way he winces whenever he chews his food. I cast a look at Cato and see that he wears a semi proud and guilty look at his face.

"Good morning Cato. Good morning Haymitch." I greet them in my nicest voice. Cato smiles at me in return, a real smile, the one that a friend gives to another. I guess we are friends now. Haymitch gives me an incredulous look, and I shrug in return.

"Haymitch, we decided to be coached as a team." Cato tells him. He stares at me, shocked, and gives me a look that clearly says "Really?". I nod at him.

"Last night, we agreed to be a team in private too." I explain briefly.

"Okay then. You are going to use the same strategy that you used yesterday. No weapons, try the camouflage and agility stations, and keep your eyes open for the Careers. Also, talk with the District 11 tributes about a possible alliance and I'll speak with their mentor." He explains.

"Are we going to train tonight as well?" I ask.

"Yes, you guys are. I am a little sour after the beating I took last night," he pauses and glares at Cato who chuckles in return. "But I am going to be there to supervise you guys."

Effie comes barging in to take us to training.

"Stop it, Effie. They can get there on their own." Haymitch says. Offended, she storms off into her room, leaving us alone, but not before saying "You are a vile, bitter man, Haymitch Abernathy." He shrugs, taking a swig from his glass full of alcohol.

"Well, that was something." I say once in the elevator.

"Yeah, I don't mind seeing that every morning." He says chuckling. I let out a small laugh. Friends do that, right?

"How was your sleep?" he asks.

"I slept like a baby." I smile. The elevator doors open and we get out. Thankfully, the traces of us training here are gone.

"Where do you want to go first?" He asks.

"How about the camouflage station?" I say.

"Okay, let's go."

We head towards camouflage. Cato sincerely seems to hate this station, swirling the wrong combination of colors on his skin, and fussing about how it won't easily go away. The trainer there who runs the station is grimacing at Cato's attempt to do a proper color. I find this shocking, he is a baker boy, and shouldn't he know something or two about camouflage since it's so similar to designing the cakes?

"Peeta always did the cakes." He admits to me when I asked him about his failed attempts. Prim always made me stand in front of the shop, just to look at the beautifully decorated cakes and cookies. We couldn't afford them of course, but seeing them always made her happy, so I made it a habit every couple of days for us to admire them in the display window.

"I didn't know he did them." I admit back.

"Yeah, he does. He has a knack for art. He draws. He considers the cookies and cakes as his canvas, since we couldn't afford to buy them for him, what with mother and all that." It's no secret that the baker's wife assaulted her kids, no one could do anything about it though.

"Did she hit you guys often?" I ask, indicating his mother.

"Yeah. She used to beat me, but not as much as Peeta though. He always was the receiver of her beating. She always yelled at him for the silliest of reasons. If he didn't get physically abused, it would be verbal. She would shout that he was worthless, useless, that she hated him. But the one that hurt him the most was that he was a mistake." He explains as he wipes the last trace of paint from his pale skin. "I guess in a way, I was the lucky one."

I don't know what to say. I mean, mother and father never yelled at us, or even hit us. They always said that violence wasn't the answer. They would never lay a hand on us. And no matter what, they wouldn't call us a _mistake_.

Turns out if you had money doesn't mean that you are necessarily happy with your life.

"I am sorry." And I really am. I don't know what else to say, because anything I might say won't make it any better for him.

"You know, I kind of felt guilty." He says again.

"For what?"

"For not saving him or anything. I should have taken the blows for him, but I didn't because I was selfish and scared." He tells. "As his big brother, I should have protected him. I guess that was one of the reasons that I volunteered for him." he explains. "If I couldn't protect him from mother, then I should try and protect him from this." He stops and looks up at me with his blue eyes, which are showing vulnerability. He blinks the tears that started forming in his eyes. He wipes a few tears away harshly. "God, I am such a pansy ass." He says, chuckling. I chuckle with him to ease the tension.

"I guess we both volunteered to save someone we love." I say, patting his wet hand gently. I feel eyes boring in the back of my head, I turn around to see Damien looking furious. What the hell is his problem? I shake my head and turn my attention back to Cato.

"Yeah, I guess so. Peeta would freak out right now if he saw all of this." He laughs. "This would be heaven fo- Hey, I think we have a shadow." I follow his eyes and see Rue hiding behind a wall. I smile at her and motion for her to come closer.

"Hey Rue." I say, squatting next to her and ruffling her hair. She pushes my hand away laughing, and adjusts her hair.

"Hey, Katniss. Hey, Cato." She greets us.

"Where Thresh?" Cato asks.

"Oh, he's at the agility station again. He couldn't climb the net yesterday, so he's trying it again." She rolls her eyes. "He considers it a challenge. He said, and I quote, "It's making fun of me." So he is going to climb to the end every day." We laugh at his childish ways. "Boys." I lift my eyebrows at her. This girl is mature for her age.

"I don't think Cato is like that though. He is failing here at camouflage –and every survival stations for that matter- and I am guessing he is not going to try it again soon." I say, and Rue bursts out laughing, and I fall in sync with her.

"Yeah, sure. Laugh at my expense, girls. But make sure I am going to get you back for this." He promises.

"I'd like to see you try." Rue dares him, still laughing.

"Oh, just wait and see." He says, fake mischief in his eyes. "How do I get this thing off?" He says, waving his arm in front of the instructor's face. I chuckle at his ways, and help him scrub off the paint.

Soon, Thresh joins us and we head to the cafeteria to eat lunch. Once seated, I nod at Cato to let him know that he should tell them.

"So, guys," he starts "we were thinking that we should ally together in the arena, the four of us." I look at Thresh, who is deep in thought, and then at Rue, who is nodding her head enthusiastically and jumping up and down in her seat. She is nodding so hard, I am afraid that her head might fall off. After what seems like forever, Thresh nods his head.

"Haymitch is speaking to your mentor today, but I think that you guys should tell him that you agreed." I tell them.

"This way, we have a bigger shot at survival." Says Rue, scooting closer to me. Slowly, she wraps her fragile little arms around my side, and I don't hesitate to hug her back.

"Come on, let's eat." I say before kissing the top of her head and unwrapping her arms from me. Thresh and Cato seem to be engaged in a conversation.

"Girls, we decided our strategy in the games." Thresh tells us.

"Really, guys? This is only the second day of training, and you've already planned our strategy? We should talk to our mentors first." I say.

"Katniss is right." Rue agrees. They both huff and but comment anymore on the subject.

We're waiting in line before one of the agility station next to the weapons stations. It's made of moving plates, they go up and down, left and right, until you reach the end. It's kind of hard. I am the second one standing in the row. Just then, a fight in the weapon station start. No shock there, it's Damien with the District 3 boy. Damien is screaming at him for stealing something.

"Where's my knife, kid?" he says, pushing the terrified young boy.

"I didn't touch your knife." He defends himself in a small voice. By now, Peacekeepers are keeping Damien away from the boy.

"I put my knife right there and now it's gone." He shouts.

"I didn't touch your knife, man." The boy repeats.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"You're a liar. Yes, you did." Everyone's attention is now on them. The Careers are smirking, the Gamemakers are interested, and the tributes are looking scared at them. "You better watch your back in the arena because you are the first one to go." He exclaims.

I shake my head at his silliness, and look at Thresh who's looking up and chuckling. I look up as well to find Rue dangling from the nets, twirling the knife in her hands, smiling. She locks eyes with me. Panicked, I motion her to drop the knife so I can catch it. It barely misses my fingers. I head slowly towards a fuming Damien, like I approach a prey.

He's standing with the rest of the Careers, his back is turned to me. The District 1 boy is the first to notice me, as soon as he does though, his eyes cloud over with lust. I make a mental note to avoid him in training and in the arena. I tap Damien's shoulder gently, and he turns to me, eyes crazed, breath ragged, and for a second, I am scared of him.

"What do you want, _twelve_?" His district partner sneers at me. He holds a hand out to silence her.

"Shut up, Clove." Clove huffs and rolls her eyes, but stays quiet. "What do you want, Katniss?" In answer, I hold out his knife. His eyes zeros in on it, and he looks angry again.

"Did you take this?" he accuses.

"Hah, what do you expect from some District twelve rat?" The district 1 girl says.

Without even glancing in her direction, Damien snaps at her. "Shut up, Glimmer."

"No, I didn't take this. You just misplaced it." I defend myself. "And I wasn't even next to you." He looks at me, unconvinced. "Just take it." I snap at him. He removes it from my hand and I walk away from them.

Far away from them, the tension is lighter. I go stand next to Cato at the net climbing station, since my place in the line was taken, and I was not going to wait again.

"So, Rue?" he asks. I nod at him. "That was a nice thing, what you did."

"It was either me or her." I shrug. "I couldn't risk her being on the other end of his madness."

"Yeah, still, it was a good thing." He says before climbing the net. Halfway to the top, the net starts swinging, he loses his balance and falls hard to the ground. Laughter booms in the gymnasium, the Careers are laughing at him. Glimmer is hanging on Damien's side, twirling her hair, and they are all laughing. Red spots fill my vision. They think we are weak! I'll show them!

"Do what you did last night." I command as I help him up.

"What?" he asks astonished.

"Throw that big metal thing like you did last night." I say again.

"No. Haymitch said that we shouldn't show off our strengths." He tries to reason with me.

"I don't give a crap about what Haymitch said. The Careers think that you are weak. And we both know that you're not. So go and throw it." He sighs heavily and picks up the biggest metal ball. I see the Careers sniggering at him. Oh, how they'll be surprised.

He throws it so far. It hits the wall next to the Careers, who are standing at the other side of the gym. Their big smiles fall at the impact, and I have to fight off a smile. Mission accomplished.

I rush to his side and squeeze his hand, a gesture of comfort.

"Haymitch is going to flip his top when he finds out." He says.

"Do you honestly care?" I ask, disbelief no doubtfully showing all over my face.

"No, I don't." he says, chuckling softly.

"You did what?" Haymitch asks, slightly angry, slightly proud. We just told him about what happened today at training, and to say he was furious was the understatement of the century.

"What you heard." Cato replies.

"I precisely said don't show your skills. And what did you do? You showed your skills." He says, aggravated, shaking his head, as if doing so, the thought will be out of his mind. "You are on top of their kill list now."

"Oh shut up, Haymitch." I step in, talking for the first time. "Give him a break, will you? They already knew he was strong, but we just confirmed what they already thought. Where did they think he got all this muscles from?" I say, gesturing to his broad body. "Definitely not from dancing!" I snap at him.

"She has a point, Haymitch." Cinna says silently, to refrain from having another burst out from him. Haymitch just sighs heavily and takes a swig from his drink.

"This is bad. _This is bad_. You guys just poked the bear with a stick." I sigh.

"We know." Cato says. "And honestly, I would do it all over again just to see their faces one more time." He smirks and I laugh.

"It _was_ something though." I agree with him.

"You two just don't understand. I can't help you if there's a target on your back. And trust me, there is one." He says before I interrupt. But Effie interrupts him instead.

"Oh don't be so hard on them, Haymitch. They did what they thought was right. You can't blame them." I smile at her. Even though she is a Capitol citizen, her heart is in the right place. Before he can throw a snarky comment at her, she says "Enough. Let's eat dinner."

"I agree. I am starving." I say.

"Me too." Cato adds.

I think what happened today was a clear sign that we will have each other's back in the arena and out. And I like that, I like the easy friendship we have going on. It was even faster than my friendship with Gale. It took me a few months to talk to him without hostility, and here I am, just after two days of knowing him, I am already warming up to him.

What is that boy doing to me?

But I know one thing, the boy with the sword is going to have my back. No matter what.

**Did you like it? Tell me.**

**Also, check out my other story "Life of a victim: Peeta Mellark"**

**I have nothing more to say. **

**Love you guys.**

**Line & Lea.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, this is an intense chapter and a short one (by short one, I mean not more than 1890 words). I am not going to say anything right now, you guys just have to read the A.N. at the bottom.**

**I have a MAJOR cliffhanger at the end, it came spontaneously, and too soon, but I am going to continue with it.**

**Enjoy reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series.**

My feet are dangling over the ledge of the roof, I'm looking at the masses down from me. Capitol citizens everywhere, partying, drinking, screaming, enjoying the fact that we are going to get slaughtered in just a few days.

Disgusted, I avert my eyes to the starry night sky, playing with the primrose flower I caught in the garden. I sigh. How much I miss her, her hair, her smile, her eyes, her spirit, her everything. I miss my loving little sister.

I even miss mother. It's weird here, and I am not talking about the food, or the fashion, or the lifestyle. I am talking about taking care of someone. Here, everyone is constantly taking care of me and it's just strange after all those years of taking care of Prim and mother.

Also, this place is too stuffed. The air is thick with tension. I miss the break I always took with Gale in the woods, where most of my days are spent.

Gale, my best friend, the one who declared his love for me, the rebel. I can almost hear him shouting profanities into the void. In a way, I feel like I am cheating on Gale by getting close to Cato, even though nothing romantic was going on between me and Gale.

I am sure that the kiss we shared meant something to him, but it didn't for me. I felt no fireworks, no butterflies in my stomach, no tingling feeling that I always overhear girls talking about. Nothing. And I think by promising him to go back, to survive this, I am leading him on.

I mean, I promised him that I will come back, and if I did, I need to tell him that he is more of a brother for me than a friend, that I can't afford to be in a relationship like that.

I feel someone shift next to me and I turn around to see Damien, wearing a white tee with black shorts and matching black shoes. His brown curls wet, sticking to his forehead. With the moonlight above us, casting distinct rays on light, he looks extremely innocent that I almost forget who he really is. A deadly Career from District 2.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asks, and I shake my head no in response.

"Sorry about today." He starts, but I know what this is. It's another try to get into my head, to mess with me.

"Don't. It's not worth it." I interrupt.

"I should warn you, though. Clove has it in for you from day one." I snort.

"And _you _don't?" I ask. "I thought so." I say when he stays silent.

"Why are you being like this to me?" I ask again after another lingering silence.

"Friendly?" he asks and I nod. "I'll admit it to you, I secretly want to know your mysterious skill." He says, with no hint of joking.

"Why do you assume that I have a skill? I am from District twelve, I am weak." I lie, in a small voice, hoping to persuade him to believe me. He clenches his jaw, and speaks through gritted teeth.

"Don't lie to me!" he all but threatens. "Don't pretend to be weak, because I know that you are not. I see the way you keep yourself up, the fire in your eyes." He explains. "You have your answers ready, you're snarky, and no weak person is capable of that."

"Why do you want to know it so badly?"

"So you admit to have one?" he smirks.

"Just answer the damn question!" I snap at him.

"You really want to know?" I stare at him blankly. He chuckles darkly. "Because I know whatever your skill is, whatever you're hiding, it's strong, and worth it. And I consider you a challenge. And I need to break every challenge that comes in my way to victory, it's in my nature. So my goal is, once at the final two, I want to see you crumble underneath me, I want to see the light leave your eyes, your blood on my hands, feel you take in your last breath. I want everyone to see that there's nothing so great about the girl on fire." My eyes are wide in shock, shivers running up and down my spine. "And do you want to know why?" He doesn't wait for my answer. "Because I hate you, and weird enough, I also want you, but not in a loving-way, but more in a master-slave kind of way. You confuse me, and make me experience new levels of rage and loathe. I love the fear that shows in your gray eyes whenever I am around you." His head is closer to mine now, I can almost feel his breath on my nose. "I am better than you, and I can't wait to show that to everyone." I think I've heard enough, I don't wait for him to finish, I just get up and head towards the elevator, but not before spitting at him: "You're sick!"

"Oh, and Katniss?" He says, halfway to the door. I'm frozen in place, like he cast a spell on me just by saying my name, and it's only broken when he says "You're mine, in all ways, at all times." He starts laughing like a psychopath.

I practically sprint to my room once the elevator door opens. I throw the door to my room open, lock it behind me, and slide my back against until I hit the floor. I'm trembling by now, shaking, breathing heavily.

_Okay, calm the hell down!_ I command myself.

I work on getting my heartbeat even. He just clearly threatened to kill me, but not before hinting to rape me, and I am pretty sure that this time, there's no Cato to save me.

I need to tell someone about this. I check the list of people available and trust worthy in my mind. Effie? She won't understand, she's from the Capitol. Cinna? He may understand, he's different from the other citizen, but there's nothing he can do about it. Haymitch? He's my mentor and all, but I doubt he can help in his drunken stupor. There's only one person left. I really hope he's a good listener though. That's what friends are for, right?

I make my way to his bedroom, hesitating before I knock. Should I talk to him? Doesn't matter anyway because my raised fist is gently pounding down on his door. He opens it, standing shirtless, wearing nothing but pajama pants. I can't help but stare at his body, the muscles on his arms, the big biceps, his hairless chest, his six pack, the perfect V- shape going from his hips to his…

He clears his throat. Heating rushes to my cheeks as I meet his eyes. Amusement is written clearly all over his face, soon replaced by worry when he sees my troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" he asks quickly, opening the door wider, allowing me to enter his room. It's a bit messy. It's a boy's room after all, but still! The bed is unmade, his training outfit is thrown over a chair in the corner, piles of dirty clothes and towels on the floor. If I hadn't something on my mind, I would've laughed and teased him.

"Did I interrupt something?" I ask.

"No, not at all." He says, picking up a few shirts from the way, tossing them to the corner of the room. I stare at him, unconvinced, but head to the king-sized bed anyway. It's the same in my bedroom, but it feels different. It feels comfortable. I scoot back until I hit the headboard. I gently tap the space next to me, signaling him to come closer to me.

He looks at me for a bit, his expression guarded, but his curiosity wins and he drops it. He climbs onto the bed, sits next to me, our shoulder practically touching. For a second, the urge of having him closer takes over me, but I shake it away. I turn to him, letting the fear overtake me, making the walls I build up so high, fall. Tears rise to the surface of my eyes, and I allow it. Sobs quickly overtake my body, and I surrender to them.

A hand lands on my shoulder, and Cato pulls me to him, his other hand going up and down my arm in comfort.

"Katniss, calm down. Tell me what happened." I am shaking harder, unable to answer. "Do you miss Prim?" I shake my head. "Then what is it?" Sniffling, I tell him about Damien, the talk, the threat, everything. He listens patiently, calmly, but once in a while, I see his mask slipping, he clenches his fists, a vein pops in his neck, and his beautiful, calm, blue eyes darken with rage.

"I am going to beat the shit out of that guy!" He promises, shuffling back and forth in front of me. Sniffling, I stand up and wobble my way over to him, stopping him by putting my hands on his big biceps.

"No, stop." I demand. His crazed eyes are turned on me.

"What? You want me to stop? He threatened to kill and rape you, and you want me to do nothing about it?" he yells, gaped.

"Yes." I say, avoiding his eyes. "In the morning, we'll tell Haymitch, he'll know what to do. Plus, we can't afford to have you suspended." I try to reason.

"I can't just not do something!" he exclaims. I wait for his breath for go back to normal before I answer.

"It's not your job to do anything about it." I say in a small voice. His eyes are wide, almost bulging out of their sockets.

He looks down for a second, then looks up at me, releasing the full power of his eyes on me, momentarily stunning me to silence.

"Well, it kinda is." I stare at him, puzzled. "I need to protect everyone I love and care about, and you are one of those people, Katniss."

"You can't, we're only friends since yesterday. My point is, that you're my friend, but that doesn't mean you always have to take care of me." I say. "I mean, I-" His lips on mine stop me from talking any further. I'm surprised at first, but soon kiss him back, our lips molding together.

This is the best I have ever had. Well, to be fair, I only had two. But Gale's kiss was rough, forced, Cato's is gentle, sweet and passionate. Gale's hands were hard on my cheeks, Cato's are gentle, like they belong there. All in all, Gale's kiss felt wrong, this one feels… right.

Soon –too soon- he pulls away.

"I am not good with words like Peeta is, but I guess that showed you how I feel." My eyes are still closed, but I open them just in time to hear: "This is not the way I wanted you to know, but, Katniss, I am in love with you."

**So how about this cliffy? It was sudden, and I didn't know what else to say. Plus I did this for a reason, I am not satisfied with the reviews. And I may be mean about this, but you guys are even meaner when you read but don't review. If I don't get a good amount of reviews, you guys are not getting Chapter 8, and it's a really good one, a big upset for the story happening (and I know this because I already wrote it).**

**I mean, I updated chapter 6 with only 2 reviews even though I specifically asked for _at least five! _**

**Sorry if I sounded mean, but I am writing with MAJOR problems in my life, and even blowing off studies, so yeah...**

**Please review, and sorry for the anger.**

**Line & Lea.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I wasn't planning on updating this soon, but your reviews just made me.**

**I don't think this chapter was really well written, because I was actually so bored to even look it over, but you guys are the judges of that, not me.**

**A HUGE MEGA THANKS to ChloeKingfanatic1894, sundragons9, IloveFinnick4, destinyblue, swishyla, Ansosa, and the 3 Guests for reviewing. It really did wonders for me.**

**Also, I have a new story coming up, not the one I have been rambling about, but something that literally came into my mind yesterday. But I still need to continue the chapter and also I need a name for it, so if you could just mention it in your review that you want to help, I'll be more than glad to PM you and give you a sneak peak about the plot so you can help me with the name.**

**Also, check out my other story "Life Of A Victim: Peeta Mellark" (to IloveFinnick4: you'll understand what kind of problems I have been talking about) , it would be much appreciated.**

**Okay, read on, and review... Please.:D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games series.**

Love is a strange word, it holds a lot of meaning behind it, it makes you feel special, wonderful, amazing. I have always said it to my parents and Prim, heard father say it to mother over and over again with a voice filled with emotion, saw the way my mother's eyes would light up whenever he would tell her that, felt it in the air, and I wanted to experience it myself, to hear someone say those words to me.

But not in these circumstances.

I stare at Cato, dumbfounded, mouth open in shock. I was not expecting that.

Even though my heart leapt in joy at the sound of it, it did not make sense. He has only known me for exactly three days, and friends for one, he could not have possibly developed such feelings for me in such short notice.

"Katniss, please say something." He pleads when I spaced out for too long. I look into his eyes, looking for any signs of lying. This could be all some sort of scheme he planned to fluster me. But his eyes shine with adoration and love, and it frightens me instead of satisfying me.

"Since when?" I stammer. I need to know. He smiles timidly at me.

"Since we were five, when I saw you at school," His eyes took a far look in them, but he continued, still smiling, "It was the first day of school, father pointed you out to Peeta and I, and said 'See that little girl over there? The one with the yellow dress and two braids? Her father was my best friend' and I said 'You're not friends with him anymore?' and he said 'No, we both loved the same girl, but she chose him instead' I was shocked, so I asked him 'Why would she want him, a guy from the Seam, when she could have you?' He laughed and said 'Because he is an amazing guy, with a big heart and a beautiful voice. When he sings, even birds stop to listen.' But I didn't believe him.

"So when I was in class, I heard a beautiful voice through the vent that made my heard stop beating, and I looked outside to see birds perched on tree branches, silent, listening to the amazing voice." He stops, wiping a tear sliding across my cheek with his thumb. I remember that day, some kid was looking at me all day. Turns out it was Cato.

"At home, Peeta told me that the girl that dad pointed out sang, and that he liked her, and I knew it was you. I knew I was in love with you. I kept watching you from a distance, trying to find the right moment to talk to you, but it never came." He says keeping his hands placed on my cheeks. "I guess Peeta's name being picked and I volunteering turned out to be a good thing." I process what he's saying and suddenly, all the pieces come together.

Why Peeta threw me that bread, without even knowing me. Why Cato just happened to be there to save me from old Cray.

I never bothered to even ask the questions about what happened. I convinced myself that it was Peeta's kindness that made him throw me that bread, and I left it to fate when Cato saved me.

But now, all that changed.

This is too much information to absorb in one day. The alliance, the truth about Damien, Cato's feelings about me, Peeta's crush on me, even the connection between Cato's father and mine! I think I might explode if I don't get out of here.

I put my hands above Cato's on my cheeks. I see his bright eyes, full of hope, the corners of his mouth twitching up, and it's enough to make me feel guilty when I shove him away and walk out of his room.

Instead of going to my room, I make my way towards Haymitch's instead. I take a cleansing breath in, ready my nose for the stench that is sure to come, knock on the door once, then enter without waiting for a response. Haymitch is sprawled across the floor, passed out. Thankfully, there's no vomit, but the alcohol's scent is sickening. How can he stand staying in this room with the smell of alcohol in the air? And why doesn't Effie do anything about it?

I grudgingly walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. The steam will help with the smell, I hope.

I look down on Haymitch, I could always talk to him in the morning, but I can't wait that long, I think I'd die. I crouch down next to him, and shake him awake, but he only groans.

Sighing heavily, I head for the kitchen, grab a bucket, fill it with cold water and ice, and go back. I stay a safe distance away from him, before dunking the contents of the bucket on his head. Lightening fast, he's up, swinging his hands around, as if fending off an attack, until his eyes focus on me, holding the bucket, slightly smirking. He gives me one of his famous looks, if only looks could kill.

"Was the water really necessary?" He grumbles.

"You weren't waking up." I shrug innocently.

"So what's going on, sweetheart? I doubt you woke me up to chat and have fun with me." He says, taking off his soaked shirt, put another clean one on.

"Well, you want the long version or the short version of the story?" I ask.

"Since I am getting bored by the second, the short one." He picks.

"Long story short, I met Damien and he openly threatened to kill and rape me." I explain briefly. His jaw is slack on the floor.

"You know how to attract problems, sweetheart. I really have no idea what to do about this than to stay away from him as long as possible. In training and the arena." He advices. But since it's Haymitch we're talking about out, he can't stay serious for too long, he tries sarcasm. "And you came to your mentor first to tell your problems. I am touched." He mocks, putting a hand over his heart, pretending to be honored.

"No, actually, I went to Cato first, but he just admitted that he loves me."

"Huh, didn't think the boy had the guts to do it."

"What? You knew about this?" I ask incredulous.

"Of course I knew. He used that on me to make me help you guys." I am beyond seething right now. They both lied to me, and I hate being lied to.

"And he was going to tell me that when exactly?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

"He was planning to say it in his interview." He says, slightly backing away from me.

"What?" I shriek.

"Calm down, sweetheart. He was going to do that to help you." He justifies Cato's actions.

"Help me how? By making me look weak?" I spit out.

"He was going to make you look desirable." He says calmly. The important question has not been asked yet.

"Why is he doing this, Haymitch?" I ask, defeated.

"Because he loves you," He pauses, debating whether or not to tell me something. "And he wants you to go back home." He whispers. "He's willing to die for you. He is going to do whatever it takes to get you out alive, for you to go back to Prim. He's chosen you over his family, friends, over his own life, sweetheart." This is too much to handle. I feel so small and lightheaded, so I sit on the edge of the bed.

I can't believe that Cato would do that for me. It's so sweet but extremely stupid. But I am not one to talk, I practically threw my life away for Prim by volunteering to take her place. I guess Cato and I are not that different. I run a hand through my hair, feeling uncomfortable.

"What should I do, Haymitch?" I almost beg.

"You're not going to like this, sweetheart, but you're going to need to pretend to like him back." I stare at him, ready to rip his head off.

"What? Why?"

"The boy is willing to die for you, sweetheart. It's the least you can do." He almost sounds like he's chastising me. "The Games start right now, not in the arena. You need to be prepared. I can sell the star-crossed lovers from District 12."

"But we are not star-crossed lovers." I counter, my anger rising to the surface, threatening to take over.

"It's what will get you sponsors. Loving that boy –or at least, pretending to love him- is your way of survival." He says, sitting next to me.

I turn the words over and over in my head, and conclude that he is right. This way, in a sick and twisted way, I'll be paying him back for saving me, and securing my ticket home.

But if it's right, then why do I feel guilt and uneasiness settle in my stomach?

_Because you're being a liar, _a small voice in my head says.

But imagining Prim in my arms, her scent filling my nose, her head fitting in the crook of my neck, puts that voice to silence.

"Alright, I'll do it. Should I start now?" I question, and Haymitch nods his head.

"Yeah, go apologize or something. Try and get close to him. Make him happy." He instructs.

"Thanks, Haymitch." I kiss his forehead before leaving.

I do what I'm told. Cato did so much for me, I can do this for him. I shake the guilt away as I head to his room again. The door is slightly open, so I guess he's awake. I push it open, only to find him sitting on his bed, face in his hands.

"Hey." I say in a small voice, hoping he'd hear me. He looks up at me, shock registering on his face at first, then he's in front of me, hands placed on my shoulders, regret clear all over his face.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. You have no idea how sorry I actually am. I shouldn't have said anything." He says hurriedly. I shake my head as I slowly put my trembling hand on his cheek.

"No, don't apologize for revealing your feelings." I stare into his eyes, sincerity ringing in my voice. I really am not mad at him for that, better have him telling me in private, than at the interviews, in front of the whole world. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have run off like that."

"Why did you do that?" he says, removing his hand from my shoulder to grasp mine on his cheek, bringing it to his lips, kissing my palm, without breaking eye contact.

My breath hitches in my throat, tears threatening to spill. My father always did that to mother.

_This is wrong, _my heart says.

_But necessary, _my brain argues.

I prepare myself to lie to the amazing, selfless guy in front of me, and remind myself that this is for Prim.

"You just took me off guard, that's all. What with all that happened with Damien." This is not a lie.

"Again, I am so sorry." He repeats.

"Please. Stop." I can't have him apologizing like that. It makes me feel even guiltier, if that's possible. "I'm glad you told me."

"Can I… Can I kiss you?" he asks timidly.

Never in my life would I have expected big Cato this flustered. I nod, slightly smiling. He hesitates a bit before inching his head closer. Then his lips are on mine.

This is different from the first one. I was surprised at the time, but this time, I almost saw it coming, prepared myself mentally and physically. And unlike the first kiss, this time, a strong yet warm feeling takes a place in my chest, and butterflies in my stomach, making me forget all about the guilt.

When he pulls away, both of us breathing heavily, I do the unthinkable and hug him, resting my head against his shoulder. He doesn't hesitate to put his arms around me.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" I ask in a small voice. I am scared of the nightmares that are sure to plague me tonight, and I need some kind of comfort. I don't want to be alone when Damien invades my dreams.

Cato looks me in the eyes for a while, searching for something, any trace of hesitance or regret, but I guess he finds none because he nods, takes my hand in his and leads me to the bed.

With one swift move, we're lying on the mattress, with the blankets covering us. I am far away from him, on the other side of the bed, and I am content like that, until Haymitch's voice sounds again in my ears, telling me to "Make him happy", obligating me to scoot closer to him, resting my head against his chest, my arms around him, his hands on the small of my back.

This act feels so strange, but so genuine that I almost forget I'm pretending. I really hope he won't find out about this. I pray to my lucky stars that I can be able to pull this through.

I really don't want to hurt him.

With the moon shining through the windows, the illusive darkness, and the proximity, I let my walls down, and whisper in a voice too weak to be mine: "Don't leave me." Wrapping my arms loosely around his neck. The tears roll down my cheeks, unable to hold in any longer.

"I will never. I won't let anything hurt you." He whispers, before pressing his lips to my forehead.

His calm demeanor rubs off on me, rushing through me, leaving me in a state of tranquility I have never experienced. But the calmness he brings may even not be enough to what we're going to face. The blood, the nightmares, the tributes. Worst of all, each other.

Here's another day I am awakened to the sound of Effie's high-pitched voice, but this time, it's panicked. She barges in Cato's room, screaming about how I am not in mine. The shock on her face is something priceless.

She walked in on us, lying together. The first thing she assumed? We were sleeping together. I didn't know what to do; whether to laugh or be embarrassed.

Cato and I both blushed 3 shades of red, scooting away from each other. She left after we both assured her that there was nothing kinky going on between us, muttering about having to deal with hormonal teenagers.

"What are you laughing at?" I inquire about Cato's chuckling when she left.

"Because, even though I am a hormonal teenager, I managed to keep it in my pants." He says crossing over to me and grabbing both of my hands. "And just so you know, it's extremely difficult when I have such a beautiful girl next to me." I try to hide the blush that crept up on my cheeks when he says that by looking down, using my hair as a curtain to prevent him from seeing. This is the first time I have blushed since… ever! But he sees it anyway, grabbing my chin and gently forcing me to look into his eyes.

"You're beautiful when you blush." He says, kissing my cheek, which, of course, makes me blush even harder, causing him to softly chuckle.

"I need to take a shower and change. See you at breakfast." I say, but halfway to the door, I realize that that sounded too cold. So I go back and kiss him on the cheek, taking him off guard. He smiles tenderly and so genuinely at me, that I can't help but smile back.

I hop in the shower, inwardly congratulating myself about how easy it was to pretend to like Cato. I mean, I do like him as a friend, but I guess he's a special friend now. Not that he needs to know. I am sure it will break his heart if he finds out, but it feels so natural and easy to do those things with him, that I am sure he won't notice or suspect a thing. But I can't shake the feeling of guilt that I am having whenever I kiss him or let him touch me.

I think this is the only alone time that I have, so I do the only reasonable thing any normal sixteen year old girl would do. Cry. I let out the pent-up tears, I cry away the pain, the guilt, the uneasiness, until I am left a whole person again, sitting on the shower floor. This is the new Katniss, the one that would do anything to get home to Prim.

After getting dressed, I open the door to find Cato casually leaning on the doorframe, wearing his training uniform, waiting for me.

"Ready?" he asks, holding out his hand. This time, I don't hesitate or think twice about it when I take his hands and intertwine my fingers through his, before cheerfully saying "Ready."

I practically skip my way over to the dining room, causing Cato to chuckle at me. He probably thinks I am happy about our current condition, and I kinda am. I just hope that Haymitch won't mention this in front of Cato, but he probably won't. I mean, he did keep Cato's feelings for me a secret.

Haymitch and Effie are eating breakfast, no alcohol in sight for Haymitch. That's a good thing.

He looks up enough to stare at our intertwined hands. He gives me an inconspicuous pointed look before raising his eyebrows at us.

"What? Are you lovebirds now?" he mocks, but secretly directing the question at me. Cato looks down on me for an answer. While I look back into his eyes, I can feel Haymitch's worried stare and Effie's curious one. This time, when I say it, I don't feel the usual guilt that I am acquainted with. I feel… nothing. And for some reason, it doesn't scare me.

"Yeah, I guess we kind of are." I say slightly smiling.

**I hope you guys liked this chapter and didn't find it boring at all, though I slightly doubt it. Do you think this is going too fast? I think it does, but another part of me doesn't and it's driving me crazy. Please tell me what you think. I have a Physics and History exams tomorrow, so wish me luck (after reviewing:P) .**

**If any of you want me to check out your stories or you have any kind of questions, or even a sneak peak;) just PM me.**

**Love.**

**Line & Lea.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! *ducks any items you might throw at me* I am terribly sorry for the incredibly long wait, but I had a perfectly good reason! You know how this story is written with a friend of mine? Well Lea was at her boarding school, and told me to write chapter 4. But she took so long to get a vacation from school, so I basically continued this all on my own. And I decided that I should step back for a while and let her write, but when I talked to her, and told her how sorry I am about it, she shushed me and told me to continue on because she won't be back until the end of May, that's when she is going to write.**

**ALSO, I just forgot how fun it was to actually write, you know? I was just doing it to have reviews, but now; it's not about that anymore! I am writing for me, and because I love it. And the long wait was due to me reading and reading and reading a lot of books, mainly John Green's books. I finished reading An Abundance Of Katherines (I didn't know what Maths could be this fun!), and now I am reading Paper Towns. If you have not read John Green, then you have no idea what you're missing out on! Especially The Fault In Our Stars, and Looking For Alaska.**

**Oh my God, this is the longest AN I have ever written, so I am gonna shut up now and let you read.**

**Enjoy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

Training went well today. I walked in hand in hand with Cato, making half the heads turn our way and stare. We were congratulated by Rue and Thresh, but mostly Rue, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that it isn't something to be happy about, that there could only be one winner, but I didn't want to burst her little bubble, so I just hugged her. I even had Thresh smiling at me and winking Cato. But you could see that there was sadness concealed under his smiles.

I got mixed, but somehow resembling, responses from the Careers. Danger and jealousy was evident in Damien's eyes, even Cato noticed it, getting me away from him and slightly pushing me behind him, shielding me, and I appreciated it. I felt, still do whenever he's around me, protected.

Clove had her disgusted stare fixed on us, her face contorted into a mask of horror and revulsion.

Glimmer is trying to look indifferent about it, but every once in a while, I catch her glaring at me, but not at Cato. I guess Damien isn't enough to please her, she's trying to go after Cato as well. But he assured me when I informed him about it that he only has eyes for me. I, of course, blushed, making him calling me beautiful, again.

Marvel had a disappointed look on his face, I am pretty sure he is let down about "not having his way" with me. That thought sickens me and makes me smirk at the same time. That guy is a creep. When Cato noticed me looking fearfully at Marvel, he flashed him a deadly look, and Marvel scrambled further away from us, even though he was all the other way across the room. I have never seen a Career scared of a District 12 tribute, but Cato isn't your average District 12 tribute. He's board and large, extremely strong, and he's a sight for the sore eye, to say the least.

I still don't understand why he even likes me. I am not going to diminish myself by saying that I am not pretty, but at the time, I won't increase my beauty. I am ordinary. I guess my only beautiful feature is my eyes, that's it. I am no Glimmer. He could've even chosen someone from back home. There are plenty of girls that are sure to throw themselves at his feet. But he chose me.

Upon Haymitch's instructions, we tried the weapons. We kept practicing at the knife station until we perfected it, then continued over the next stations doing the same. But when we proceed to the bow and arrows, although it hurt me, I acted like a beginner, and missed the dummies on purpose. Cato did the same with the sword, fumbling around with it, like he didn't actually know how to use it.

Damien's eyes never left me the whole time, and it scared me. His words rang again in my head. _You're mine, in all ways, at all times. _I don't even want to think about the hidden meanings in there. He would smirk at me whenever I would catch his eye, and I would quickly spin facing the other way. Away from his dementedness. **(Someone mentioned in his review that Katniss should tell Damien that he's demented next time she sees him, so I used it :P I hope you don't mind **** ) **

We are sitting together, all of us, waiting for the first name to be called for the private session. The sessions are for the last evaluation, which last about fifteen minutes, to know if we are worthy to compete in the Games or not. I need to get a high score. High scores mean sponsors, which mean an even better chance to go home to Prim. They start with the District 1 female and escalade from there, meaning we will go last.

Marvel just entered. Only 22 more to go. I sit next to Cato, leg bouncing up and down because of the nervousness. Will they laugh at me? Are they going to give me a low score?

Cato places his hand on my leg, effectively stopping the movement. He chuckles a bit before leaning his head towards my ear and whispering that I am going to do great. I nod at him and clasp his hand really tight.

"Relax, Katniss." He advices when I nearly stop the blood circulation in his hand.

"I can't. Why aren't you nervous? You should be nervous." I mumble.

"I am. But I am better at hiding it than you." He teases and I roll my eyes at him in return. A growl can be heard from a across the room and I don't have to turn to know it's Damien. Cato visibly tenses next to me.

"Ignore him." I whisper in his ear.

Soon, there's no one there but me and Cato, waiting. Everyone who was already done went to his floor, probably to rest.

The robotic voice says Cato's name and he stand up quickly going to enter the room.

"Katniss, shoot straight." He advices and I nod at him, flashing him a smile. Midway, he turns and jogs towards me, and crouches down. His face is inches from mine, his breath tickling my nose when he speaks. "Can I get a good luck kiss?" He smirks, and before I can give him any sign of acceptance, his lips brushes against mine, and then he's gone, chuckling his way to the room.

I shake my head at him, the corners of my mouth twitching up. He's definitely… something else.

I am pretty sure he is going to show his strength, I mean, that's what Haymitch said anyway. To impress them. Make them remember us.

My musing is interrupted by the robotic voice once again. I stand up and go in the face the Gamemakers. This is it.

"Katniss Everdeen. District 12." I say to get the Gamemakers' attention. When I have their interest, I head towards the metal bow. The feel of it is so familiar now, I don't need to shift it from hand to hand to get used to it. I notch the arrow and pull the string back, just like I practiced with Haymitch. I close my eyes and let out a breath, tune everything out. It's just me and my bow. No one else. No Gamemakers observing my every move. This is the time to show them everything. I open my eyes and release the arrow. It flies across the room and sticks to the dummy with a satisfying _thump_.

I empty my quiver on every dummy that is still intact after the 23 tributes before. Every one hitting its target. Satisfied, I turn to the Gamemakers, only to find just two of them actually concentrating on me, nodding in gratification at me, whilst the rest are huddled around a roasted pig. _A pig! _My life doesn't matter to them, I am just a piece in their stupid Games! My existence is on the line here and a stinking pig has captivated their attention more than me!

Red spots fill my vision, I am beyond enraged. I'll show them. I'll put them in their place, they are supposed to be watching me. Not the stupid pig!

Without even thinking, I grab the arrow from the nearest dummy, notch it, and send it flying to the pigs mouth where an apple was just a few second ago. The apple is lodged on the wall, the arrow sticking out of it.

Slowly, the Head Gamemaker turns his head towards me, astonished.

"Thank you. For your consideration that is." I bow mockingly to him, hurl the bow to the floor with a clinking noise for good measure and tauntingly skip out of the room.

The whole effect of what I did crashes down on me in the elevator. Did I just actually do that? They are so going to get me back! Or maybe even worse, could they do something to harm my little Prim? The thought of someone even hurting her gets tears to well up in my eyes. I lean against the elevator's side and cry. I should've thought this through. God, I am so reckless!

As soon as the elevator door opens, I go to my room, ignoring everyone. I close the door roughly behind me and throw myself down on the bed and sob. They wouldn't harm Prim, would they?

Not long after, Cato, Haymitch, Cinna and Effie knock on my door, telling me to open, except Cato who was begging me to open. I just shout at them to leave me alone, that I'll come out when I feel like it. I didn't want to face them right away and see their disappointed looks. Everyone worked hard on me, and I threw their efforts out the window when I pulled that stunt. Haymitch grumbles something along the lines of "Let's go, we'll get her when the training scores comes on."

Finally, when I am all cried out, I get up, wash my face, and unlock the door. I almost stumble on Cato's figure lying on the floor lying next to the door. Was he waiting for me all this time? I was in there for almost 2 hours! He's dedicated all right.

When he hears the creak of the door, he instantly gets up and faces me.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" he immediately asks. I sniff before taking his hand and leading him to the living room where everyone is.

"Did they show the training scores yet?" My voice is hoarse from crying so much. Cinna shakes his head. I sit in front of Haymitch and doze out, not talking or anything.

I think it drives them crazy, because soon Haymitch asks me "I am just voicing what everyone is thinking. What the hell happened, sweetheart?"

I sigh deeply before answering in a small, barely audible voice. "I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers." He strains to hear but doesn't.

"What?" He questions.

"I SHOT AN ARROW AT THE GAMEMAKERS!" I snap. Shock registers on all of their faces, jaws slack on the floor, before Haymitch cracks up. I don't know what reaction I expected from them, maybe yelling or something, but not this. "They weren't paying attention to me."

"What?" Effie shrieks. I just look down, the feeling of shame building up in my chest. "How can you find this funny, Haymitch?"

"Because it actually is." He says, wiping some stray tears from his eyes.

"What if they decide to take it out on her and him?" she asks and I wait to hear what his answer is going to be.

"Wake up, Effie. They're in the Games. They've already took it out on them." He points out.

"Will they do something to harm Prim?" I question him.

He shakes his head. "Probably not. That will raise too much question, and lead to bad publicity." I sigh in relief. "You made them remember you all right, sweetheart." He smirks at me, and I crack a smile at him. Indirectly, I did do what he told me to.

"What did they do when you shot the arrow at them?" he asks.

"They looked frightened." I smile insolently at him. They did, but I was just too occupied to notice.

"Well, serves them right." He says, laughing again.

"Yeah, it's their job to pay attention to you." Cinna adds. Effie is sulking in the corner, probably mad at Haymitch's reaction. I turn my head to face Cato and scoot closer over to him. Astonishment is written all over his face.

"You know that you are amazingly unbelievable?" he asks, amazement clear in his voice.

"No. You're the first to ever tell me that." I smile sheepishly at him, slightly embarrassed.

"I doubt that." He whispers under his breath, thinking I didn't hear, but I did. I kiss his cheek when he's not looking and make my way to his ear, where I speak softly. "Thank you." I plant a small kiss under his earlobe, lift my feet off the floor and rest them on the couch and lean my head on his shoulder, his arms automatically circling around my waist. We're in our little fake bubble in peace. I don't speak and neither does he. Our silence is ironically surrounded by chatter.

The clearing of a throat breaks our imaginary bubble and we turn our attention to the grown-ups who are slightly gaping at us. This is the first time I have showed public affection around them, so it's only natural that they'd be a little surprised.

Suddenly the TV is turned on, showing Caesar Flickerman. I vaguely remember Effie saying once that the television is activated on its own when there's something important to show.

I space out during most of the show, focusing on Cato rubbing my arm up and down, but some scores do stay in my head. Like the Careers; Marvel and Glimmer both pull out a nine, as for Damien and Clove, they both score a ten. Rue gets a score of seven, which is really good for someone her age and size. Quiet Thresh gets a ten – no surprise there.

Everyone draws in their collective breaths, waiting for Cato's score. He traps me in a bear hug when a ten flashes under his smirking face while everyone is cheering and clapping. He kisses me, but I am irresponsive. My score is next.

I look on the screen, ready to hear the destined two I am surely getting. Caesar Flickerman has his eyes wide in shock. Of course, everyone expected a high score from the Girl on Fire. I wonder if Haymitch can work with a score of two with the sponsors.

I am waiting for the words to leave his mouth. It's easy, just a one syllable word. Two.

"Eleven." He declares. I am sure that my eyes are even wider than Caesar's, and everyone else's for the matter.

I am not only enveloped by Cato, but also Haymitch, Cinna, Portia and Effie. A group hug.

Eleven. Eleven. _Eleven. _

I thought for sure that I would get a low score, but I didn't expect to get the highest score of all time in the Games. Me. A poor District 12 tribute. A Seam girl. A rat.

Well, I am not a rat anymore. Not an unimportant Seam girl anymore. I am Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, the future Victor of the seventy forth Hunger Games.

**Trust me, I wanted to write more, but I didn't want so much happening in one chapter and over whelming you guys! But the good thing is that I am almost finished with the next one, and it will be posted this Sunday at the latest since I have the week off. :D**

**Next Chapter: an encounter with someone obnoxious, the interviews and the start of the Games.**

**If you read my other story "Born To Die", that one is on a slight hiatus because I started a new story. But it will be updated, soon hopefully. I just don't know what to do with it anymore. **

**Does anyone of you have a fan account? Basically it's just like a regular account on twitter, but you know, it's like, not personal, it's fans stuff, hence the name "fan account". But if any of you does have one, PM me or leave it in your review that you do and I'll tell you mine**

**Review, follow, and favorite. You know what to do.**

**Lots of love.**

**Line.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Seriously? Only four reviews? That's what I get when I come back from such a long break?**

**But on the bright side, you didn't exactly expect me to update the next day did you now?:D AND ALSO THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN! 5500 WORDS! ALL IN ONE DAY! CAN I GET AN AWARD OR SOMETHING? I AM SUPERWOMAN!**

**I had this really long AN on my computer but it wasn't saved -.- and I forgot what I said so this sucks!**

**But I had real fun writing this one! There's so many Damien moments in here, and in this chapter you'll kinda understand why I created him!**

**But sorry, there is no Games in this chapter. I mean gimme a break, I wrote it in a day! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading. Please review when done.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

I feel like I am suffocating, there's not enough air. I don't know if it's from the massive hug or the shocking score, but I find myself running towards, throwing over my shoulder an "I need some air". I feel like I am drowning, like an incredible force is holding me down. I need air, I can't breathe.

Opening the door to the roof, taking a big gulp of air, I bend down, hands placed on my knees. My heart is beating frantically. I straighten up, only to find Damien walking towards me, green eyes intense, blazing with fury. He's approaching me the way I approach a prey, slowly but dangerously, and for the first time in a while, I feel frightened. He's getting closer, and I am trying to get away from him. It isn't until I hit the wall behind me that I feel trapped.

"How did you get that score?" He sneers at me. His fisted hands are either side of my head, he's crouching down until his face is leveled with mine. Even in this situation, my rebel side still shows and I feel the urge to tease him growing in me.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I say sarcastically. He reels his fist back and punches the wall so hard that I am sure it's going to leave a showing dent. I stay stoic, and my impassive mask stays on.

"Tell. Me." He commands through gritted teeth.

"No." I reply. I don't think it's wise to tease such a giant and dangerous guy, who could easily snap my neck in this kind of situation, but I can't help it, especially after the state of mind he left me in because of his threats.

He looks down, lets out a loud, long breathe through his nostrils and looks up again at me, a new found determination in his green orbs.

"What is going on between you and that Cato kid?" he tries for another different approach.

"Why? Are you jealous, Damien?" I smirk at him, and his eyes darken with rage once again.

"I thought I told you that you are mine, Katniss. Didn't I?" he asks, mouth at my ear, blowing his breath at me.

"I am not yours, Damien. And I will never be." I spit at him.

"That's where you're wrong Fire Girl." He says before he assaults my mouth. How dare he? It's unpleasant – unlike Cato's. This one is full or aggression and hate, Cato's are full of love. I hate him! I have to get him off of me.

He's nibbling down on the bottom lip of my clamped mouth, trying to force it open. I take this chance and open my mouth, granting him access to only bite down on his tongue, hard. I can taste blood pooling in my mouth as he stands back and eyes me loathingly.

"You fucking bit me, you bitch." He hisses. He's still close to me, hand raised to slap me across the face, when my knee made a forceful impact with his groin. He's doubling over in pain on the floor and I take this opportunity and run back to my floor.

I'm laughing and laughing for no reason. I think I finally cracked under pressure and went nuts. I run to the living room where Cato happens to be sitting with everyone else, grab his hand and haul him up so he's running behind me while I am still laughing.

Entering his room and shutting the door behind me, I embrace him and shake with laughter.

"Katniss, baby, are you alright?" he asks softly, voice laced with worry.

"No, I am not. Damien kissed me." My laughs have died down by now, and through the tears, I can see him clenching his jaw. Is he actually jealous?

But instead of throwing a tantrum like I expected him to, he puts his hand on my shoulder and holds me at arm's length, inspecting me for any apparent injuries.

"Katniss, are you okay?" he asks.

"Yes, I am. Don't worry, I bit his tongue and kneed him in the groin." I say and he chuckles. His laugh is music to my ears. It's good to see him like this, and knowing that I am the reason behind his joy. It almost makes the idea of lying to him a little bit more bearable.

"You're a tough girl, aren't you?" he asks, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

"I always were, and I always will be." I place a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I'm going to go change, so we can sleep. We have a _big, big, big day_ tomorrow." I say, making fun of Effie. For a girl who is placed in a life death situation, constantly harassed by a deadly Career, my sense of human still lives.

Cato stops me by putting a hand on my forearm, looking down ashamed and a little bit embarrassed. "I, uh, grabbed a bit of your stuff and put them here while you were gone." He lifts his head up and looks at me. "I figured that you would want to sleep here with me." He scratches the back of his neck nervously. "But it's totally okay if you don't want to." The words rush out of his mouth. He looks so adorable when flustered. I love the fact that I can have that affect on him.

"It's fine, Cato." I cut his rambling. "Just show me where you kept my clothes." After showing me, I grab my pajamas and go into the bathroom to change.

Once done, I stand in front of the mirror, take the rubber band out of my hair and let it wave down my back. I see that Cato also grabbed my toothbrush with him. I smile a bit. He's such a good guy, I don't deserve him and he surely doesn't deserve what is happening to him.

I brush my teeth twice, trying to get rid of the memory of Damien's tongue down my throat, and the taste of blood in my mouth. I shudder just at reminder of him.

Opening the door, I let Cato in to change and settle in bed. I almost smile at the irony of everything. Not in a million years would've I imagined myself, Katniss "no boys" Everdeen, lying in a bed with someone and kissing him. Let alone Cato Mellark. I guess a lot can change in two days.

The bed shifts and Cato's arms soon engulf me. "Let's go to sleep, beautiful." He whispers huskily in my ear.

"Let's." I say, snuggling deeper into his chest, his arms instantly tightening around me. With a kiss to my forehead, he says "I love you."

"I know." And that's the only thing I can say right now. He knows I won't say it back – it's too soon for it – and he won't force me to say it.

The even sound of his breathing lulls me to sleep, but before oblivion consumes me, one satisfying thought fills my mind: "it's not so bad having to sleep and waking up next to this amazing guy, having him beside me at all times, like I thought it would be."

I am admiring Cinna's red dress in the mirror when Effie comes in, panicked. "Come come. Quickly please." She urges. I go to the living room where Cato, Haymitch and Portia are, looking as confused as I am.

"What's wrong, Effie?" asks Cinna gently.

"I just found out that there's a change in the interviews. Tributes are not going in the same order as usual." She explains. I share a glance with Haymitch and then Cato.

"What brought this on?" asks Portia.

"I have no idea." Effie replies.

"Kids, I need to have a word with you. Both of you." When everyone left, Haymitch leads the way to the balcony. "Cato, I need you to tell everyone that you are in love with Katniss." He says, recoiling a bit.

"What?" I shriek. I am having a huge sense of déjà-vu. It's the same scene of two nights ago. From the corner of my eye, I see Cato trying to reach for me but refrains to do so.

"Do I have to remind you that, _that_ will get you sponsors?" I look down sulking. "And I need you to say that you return his feelings."

"But I don't return the exact same feelings as him. I am not in love with him." Cato flinches out of the corner of my eye, so I shoot him an apologetic look. "Not yet, anyway."

"Sweetheart, if you want to get back to your sister, you have to be part of the star-crossed lovers from District 12." I contemplate it a bit. It's only a small price I have to pay to get back to Prim. Besides, I am already pretending to be with Cato, so it wouldn't make a difference if it's on camera or off camera.

"Okay, fine." I accept and grab Cato's hand and squeeze it in reassurance. Thankfully, Effie chooses this moment to come in and tell us that we should be on our way.

My hand is clammy in his hand, riding down the elevator. It's just then that I realize that I have no idea where the interviews are being held.

After escaping the flashing of the cameras, the swarms of colors into the car, we arrive at a huge theatre.

The building stands tall, looking almost like a temple with the poles all around it. It possesses an aura of prestige around it, and the only thing that makes it better is that it is not outrageously painted in neon colors, like every other building in the Capitol, and I actually find myself loving this building.

I think we are the last ones here because every other district tributes are here with their mentors. I find great satisfaction when almost all the boys' jaws drop, and the girls cast jealous glances at me. But frankly, they are mesmerized by Cinna's creation, not the girl wearing it and showing it off. The dress is of red coloring, one shoulder, foot length with red, yellow and white jewels adorning my bareless back.

The deafening roar of the crowd has everyone's attention. Caesar is on stage wearing all blue in blue. Blue hair, blue eyebrows, blue lipstick, blue suit, even blue shoes. I think he has taking his statement a bit too far.

"Welcome, welcome everyone. This year, we have a small twist in the interviews." He says and the crowd screams in return while two of the staff wheel onto the stage a ball looking like the Reaping ball, filled with small slips of papers. "Since this year has been historical so far, with our very first volunteers from District 12, the very first eleven, we have decided to interview the tributes in a non-specific order. That is the purpose of the ball. We are going to pick a paper with a name on it to interview." Everyone in the crowd claps and cheers. "Also, we have added two minutes to every interview's time, because we know you can't get enough of this year's tributes."

I smile when I hear Haymitch mumbling under his breath "Morons."

"Let's pick our first interviewee!" he shouts enthusiastically and crosses to the ball, picking the first paper that his hand lands on.

"Rue Nooks, from District 11." She looks like a vision of innocence with her hair let down in soft curls and pale blue dress. She impresses everyone with her angle, the sweet girl next door, warning everyone that she should not be counted out of the Games just yet.

"Next up…" he says, taking another slip, "Cato Mellark from District 12." He steps on stage and half the ladies swoon at the sight of him. Clad in a black suit with golden cuffs, fire printed on his sleeve, he's the significance of male sexiness. I feel uncomfortable having all these ladies eye-ogling him. True, I am faking being with him, but that doesn't mean that I am okay with others checking him out. To top things, he smirks at them, sending winks their way. I scowl at the screen and I hear Haymitch chuckling at me. I step back and dig my heel into his shoe. "Fuck." I hear him mutter and I smirk in return.

"Welcome, Cato." Caesar says once the crowd settled down. "You seem to have quite the effect on the ladies." He laughs.

"That, I do." Cato says, still smirking.

"Even back at your District?" Caesar smiles, easily steering the topic to where we want it.

"No, not really." He says, looking down frowning. Wow, he's good. Even I believed him!

"Come on, I don't believe that for a second. A handsome lad like you. There's someone that caught your eye for sure!"

"Well, there's this girl that I've had a crush on since forever." Cato says and Caesar's grin widens.

"And does this girl know about your feelings?" he asks.

"Yes, she does, I told her." He says, avoiding mentioning the time and place.

"Well, does she reciprocate?" He asks, incredibly interested.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" Caesar leans in his chair, as does most of the crowd.

"What do you ever mean by that?" Caesar asks, mystified.

"You should ask her, because she came here with me." And there it goes, he dropped the bomb and every head turns in my way. I look down embarrassed. It isn't until Haymitch's hand rests extremely low on my back that I look up blushing, to see that my blushing face on cameras. Nice effect, Haymitch!

"A beautiful girl, that one. What are you going to do when there's only one person who can win?" asks Caesar.

"I will protect her every way I can. She needs to get home, to her sister." Just then the buzzer goes off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Cato Mellark. Good luck." He throws Cato's hand up in the air. He smiles a bit at the crowd before stepping backstage, standing close to me – much to Haymitch's and Damien's dismay.

Thresh goes up next, then Foxface, but neither of them have anything on Cato's confession. Thresh remains stoic and silent during most of his interview, not different than he usually is, and Foxface, well she honestly bored everyone with her smart talk, but I'll bet she's going to have a couple of sponsors heading her way. She's smart, tall, thin and has a shot at winning.

I think I have spaced out a bit too long because the next thing I know Cato is nudging me, tilting his chin towards the screen where Damien is smiling and shaking hands with Caesar.

"Glad to have you here, Damien."

"Glad to be here." He flashes a smile to the crowd.

"Let's get right down to business, shall we? Tell us Damien, how do you describe yourself?" Caesar asks.

"Well, that's simple. I'm vicious brutal and ready to go." He explains briefly.

"So that's your strategy to win? Kill, kill and kill?" He inquires.

"Well, that's what I have to do to bring honor to my District. Right?" Damien answers.

"Right you are. Now tell me, is there someone that has captured your heart?"

"Well, there's someone that I have my eyes set on…" He says, and I have a feeling where this is heading.

"Is she from your home District?" he asks.

"No, she is also one of the contenders in these Games." He says and smiles devilishly at the camera.

"Is she your fellow district partner?"

"No, Clove is a close friend of mine, that's it. But let me just tell you that Cato Mellark has a bit of competition." Everyone all around explodes, Clove and her mentors are in the midst of a very heated conversation, but once in a while someone from their group would look my way and scowl, the crows is going crazy, half chanting Cato, the other half chanting Damien.

"Well, well, well. It seems that we have a love triangle on our hands. Tell me Damien, do you think Katniss will return your feelings or Cato's?" He asks, grinning wickedly. These are the things they thrive on, real life drama.

"Well, I don't know. That's up for Katniss to decide, but with her spending a lot of time with me in the arena, I hope it's me." Damien says. What is he talking about? I share a confused look with Cato then turn my gaze towards the screen.

"Why would she be spending time with you in the arena?" Caesar is genuinely lost now, and so am I.

"Because, Caesar, last night on the roof, she agreed to join the alliance with the Careers." He did it again. What a liar. I have never hated more than I do this second!

Haymitch is taking a long swig of his alcohol flask, and Cato is looking at me, betrayal clearly written all over his face. He can't possibly think that I would do that! Leave him, and the alliance with Rue and Thresh, to join the Careers! I should be the one feeling betrayal, not him!

I lock my jaw in barely concealed anger and stare at the screen. Damien is just getting back my stage, smirking. When he catches my eye, his smirk widens and he winks at me. I channel all my anger and loathe into my look and I can feel all these suppressed feelings rolling off of me in waves.

Thank God that I am not next up, it's Marvel. I don't pay attention to him, but I grab Haymitch's hand and taking him to a corner in the room, leaving Cato alone. Serves him right. I am not going to talk to him for a while.

"What do I do now Haymitch?" I ask. I think he sobered up a little bit at my question.

"Just try to be aloof. The brute from 2 created this love triangle and you have to work with it now. Act independent, don't show interest in any of them. They will eat it up."

I nod at him, but there's a question tugging in my brain, eager to be asked. "Why did he do this?"

"I don't know. I guess he wanted a fair share of the sponsors." He answers.

"So I have to join the Careers now?" I ask, biting my lip.

"Unfortunately, you do, sweetheart. The people will start asking questions if you don't, and the Careers will haunt you down. They are your ticket to a longer time in the arena."

"Okay, fine. Let's get back. And do me a favor, stand between me and Cato. I can't stand him right now." I say.

"Why?"

"Just do it, Haymitch!" I snap, and storm back to where I was standing, Haymitch trailing behind me. He stands between Cato and me, granting me my wish.

After Marvel goes up, Glimmer is on stage. Her interview is normal really, nothing impressing. She's just looks and no brains. All in all, her interview is forgettable.

Soon enough, I am called on stage. With trembling feet, I join Caesar, ears ringing.

"Well if it isn't our one and only, the Girl on Fire, Katniss Everdeen!" Caesar greets me, I ignore the nauseous feeling I am getting, and smile and wave at the crowd.

"First things first, you look amazing." He gushes.

"Thank you. All the appreciation goes to Cinna though." I say, and my stylist stands up between the crowd and bows down for them.

"I have to say, flames suited you well on that chariot." He complements.

Blushing, I thank him and say "They also suit me tonight. I am wearing them."

"You are? Can we see it?" he asks.

"Of course you can. Just step back a bit. You wouldn't want to get burned, would you?" the crowd laughs a genuine laugh, and I stand up, ready to do what Cinna and I agreed on. I twirl around and hear the fire crackling a bit, devouring the hem of the dress, but the screaming of the crowd is even louder than ever. They are chanting "Girl on Fire" and clapping.

Eventually, I stop because I start to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Caesar catches me and leads me back to my seat.

"Careful there. You haven't been drinking, have you?" he jokes.

"No, I have not, I tend to leave that to Haymitch." I say, and everyone laughs again, too bad it's at Haymitch's expanse.

"Now, Katniss. I need to ask the question that is on everyone's mind since Cato's and Damien's interviews." He pauses to add an effect. "Do you like anyone of these young men?"

I take a breath. This is it. This is the moment of truth. "Well, they both are wonderful guys, and I couldn't choose even if I want to. They are so different from each other." I say, and Caesar's smile falls. "Besides, my mom doesn't let me date."

"Well, that's too bad." He says, still laughing. "Now, how do you feel about Cato saying that he is going to protect you no matter what?"

"It's nice of him to do so, but I am a grown woman, I get to make my own decisions. I can protect myself." I say, the truth and deception clear in my voice. "I'll get back to my sister the way I want, I don't need anyone's help at all."

"Speaking of your sister," he clasps my hand tightly. "tell us about her."

I take another deep breath. I don't want them to know about Prim, they have no right to, but if talking about her will assure my angle of the protecting older sister, so be it. "Her name is Primrose, but I call her Prim. She's twelve years old, and she is my everything."

"How did she feel about you volunteering to take her place?" he asks. What kind of stupid question is that? How to I respond to this? She's happy that she gets to live? She's sad that I will probably die? I can't answer with neither of those, so I try a different strategy. I try to divert the answer a bit.

"When she came to tell me goodbye, she said she believed in me, that she knows that I will go back to her." I say and stifle back a cry. I can't breakdown on national television.

"And what did you tell her?" he asks, handing me his handkerchief. I take it gratefully and wipe some tears from my eyes.

"I promised her that I will get back to her. I promised her that I will win. I promised her that I will fight. For her." I say, and the buzzer goes off.

"Thank you. Katniss Everdeen everyone. The Girl on Fire!"

I go backstage and wait until the interviews are over. I wonder if Prim was watching the interviews, if she is okay with me talking about her. Talking about her made me realize how much I miss her.

Cato puts his hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. I don't need his reassurance. He raises his eyebrows incredulously at me, but I don't care. I am mad at him.

As soon as the last tribute's interview ends, I head for the car where Cinna is in. Supposedly, there are two cars for each District, but we all came in one, so I guess there's another one. So I go to the Tribute Center with Cinna.

"You did great, Katniss."

"Thank you, Cinna." I say, taking his hand in mine.

"What's wrong?" he asks anxiously. I shake my head at him and say "Nothing." If it was anyone else, they would've pushed me to giving more information, but because it's Cinna, and we have grown to be friends, he understands that I don't want to talk about it.

Once the car is parked, and I've ridden the elevator with Cinna, I go directly to Cato's room, grab my stuff and put them back in my room. I know that I am exaggerating by doing so, but I can't help it. I am incredibly mad at him for not trusting me like this and immediately jumping to conclusions, and I need time to cool off.

I change into a pair of blue pajama shorts and blue shirt. While hanging my dress and putting it in the closet, Cato knocks on the door.

"Katniss? What happened? I got into my room and all of your stuffs were gone. Are you alright?"

Opening the door, glaring at him, I respond. "Yes, I am alright."

"Then why did you take your stuff?" he asks, puzzled.

"Because I felt like it." I spit, walking around him. Gripping my arm, he effectively prevents me from going.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being like this?" he questions.

"Nothing, I'm just a ray of sunshine." I reply back sarcastically. I take his hand off of my arm and continue my way to the roof.

"Katniss!" he shouts. When I ignore him, he stomps after me, takes my arm and swings me around to face him. "What the hell is your problem?" he yells at me angrily. I forgot that Cato also has a temper on him, almost worse than mine. We're now in front of the elevator where everyone is standing, watching with wide eyes our confrontation.

"My problem is that you don't trust me!" I yell back at him, temper barely under check.

"What?" his eyes widen in shock. "Of course I trust you."

"Apparently not, because you actually believed that asshole Damien. You believed that I would actually leave you guys for him!" Again, I shake his hand off and head for the roof.

"Where the fuck are you going?" he asks, furious.

"It's not of your business!" I reply.

"I asked you a fucking question!" he shouts.

"And I said that it's none of your fucking business!" I shout back at him. I hear Effie gasp at our cursing but we both ignore her.

"Where are you going sweetheart?" Haymitch asks quietly. My chest is heaving from all the yelling.

"To the roof." I answer, looking at him, ignoring Cato.

"Why?" he asks.

"I want to talk to Damien." I reply.

"What makes you think he's going to be there, on the roof?" Cinna asks.

"He was there the first two times I was there. I figure he's going to be there this time as well."

"Maybe it was a fluke." Cato says calmly.

"Well, I am taking my chances." I say. "And you are not coming with me." I tell him when I see him heading to the elevator.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you are not. I have to do this alone. He dragged me into this." I argue.

"Please?" he looks so helpless right now, and I find all my anger at him dissipating and directed towards a certain curly haired, green-eyed guy. I grab his hand and press the button to the elevator.

"Shut up, Haymitch." I tell him when I hear him muttering "I'm not drunk enough to deal with this teenage drama."

True enough, when the doors to the roof opened, we find Damien leaning against the wall, still wearing his gray suit.

"Why did you do that?" the words leave my mouth before we've stepped out of the elevator.

"I wanted my share of the sponsors. It's as simple as that." He says, smirk plastered on his face. "I also wanted to spend more time with you."

"Spend more time with me my ass." I hiss.

"Watch how you speak to me, Katniss. You don't know what I can do to you in the arena." He threatens.

"She will talk however she wants." Cato steps in.

"Hello, Cato." He greets him. "I have to say that what you did at the interviews was a desperate move. You're such a weak pussy." He says. I don't hesitate for a second when I slap his face.

"Don't you ever talk to him like that!" I say. Damien touches his red cheek and turns his eyes on me, never hiding the rage in them.

"You little…" he doesn't get to finish his sentence because Cato's fist makes contact with his jaw. Damien stumbles back a bit, but doesn't do anything in return. He just keeps his smirk on. We turn to go back to our floor.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Damien." I say. "I think you should put some ice on that." I tell him, pointing to his jaw.

"Watch your back tomorrow. Both of you." And the elevator doors separate us.

I feel like I owe Cato an apology, he defended me and I defended him. "Cato, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he puts his thumb on my lip, silencing me.

"Don't apologize, I would have done the same thing if I were you. Besides, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have blown up like that." He says.

"I shouldn't have caused it in the first place." I argue.

"You know what? It's both our faults. Let's agree to disagree. How about that?" he smiles at me.

"Agreed." The word is barely out of my mouth before his mouth is on mine. He's kissing me fiercely and I respond quickly by wrapping my arms around him, tangling my hands around his neck, playing with locks of his hair.

"Great, I think they reconciled." Haymitch grumbles. I hadn't realized that we had an audience watching us. I blush deep red and Cato chuckles.

He hauls me over his shoulder and makes his way to his room. "No, my room." I shriek.

"Okay, then."

He sets me on the bed and turns to go to his room, but I reach out and grab his hand. "Stay."

"But I need to change."

"No, don't. Just stay in your underwear." I say. He gapes at me before lunging forward and landing on top of me.

"So where we before we can so rudely interrupted?" he asks, playfully.

"I don't exactly remember." I tease him playfully.

"Oh really?" he asks, kisses my forehead and makes his way down between my eyebrows, to my nose then my mouth where he places a lingering kiss. I pull away from the kiss and start unbuttoning his shirt. He's not wearing the suit jacket, which makes it a lot easier for me.

"What are you doing, Katniss?" he asks, breath catching in his throat.

"Shut up." Once the shirt is completely unbuttoned, I put it aside to reveal his chiseled chest. I trace my fingers down from his shoulder blade, to the front of his chest, down his bellybutton. I kiss his chest, the spot where his heart lies.

"Get rid of the pants." He's quick to comply, only in his boxer briefs, and he's back to kissing me. I break the kiss again.

"Easy there, tiger. I was just getting you ready to bed. I didn't want you leaving me." I tell him, barely able to hold in my laughter. The look on his face is priceless. He actually thought we were going to do it. **(And you actually did too. Didn't you? XD)**

"I am going to get you for that." He warns and then he's on top of me. He starts kissing my neck and sucking it. I can't help but moaning in pleasure and grabbing his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I ask, out of breath.

"See for yourself." Staring at myself in the mirror, I inspect my neck only to find a bruising mark there. "You left me a hickey?" I ask, shocked. He just shrugged in return. And for some reason, I am okay with it.

Climbing to bed with him, I kiss him on the cheek and snuggle into his chest like every other night.

"I'm scared." I say in a small voice.

"Don't be. What happened to you being a tough girl?" he teases and I punch him in the arm.

"I am tough. I'm just being human and being scared." I say.

"I know. If it makes it any better, I am scared as well." He says, patting back my hair.

"It doesn't make it any better." I tell him. "I am going to miss you."

"We'll be together eventually. I mean it is a love triangle, you are not supposed to take sides." He says, and I punch him again. "Ow. What was that for?"

"The normal response would be: I'll miss you too!" I say.

"Of course I'll miss you too." He says and kisses my forehead. I wanted to also say that I am afraid. Afraid that he won't make it past the bloodbath, afraid that he'll die and leave me alone. Afraid of what that might mean. I can't imagine my life without him now.

I am afraid of losing him.

I am afraid of losing Cato Mellark.

**YAYYYY! SHE IS SLOWLY FALLING FOR HIM! IS THIS THE BEST CHAPTER SO FAR OR WHAT?!**

**You guys probably thought that they were going to do it, didn't you?**

**I was smiling while writing this chapter sooo much!**

**And sorry about the fight. But thats what happens when you have two hot-headed characters like Cato and Katniss together. It's a silly fight but I really wanted it to happen. They can't always be happy you know? They're in the freaking games! And also I am such a realistic person, and they can't always have happy moments! You know?**

**Tell me if you like this chapter please! **

**Review.**

**Lots of love.**

**Line.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, three updates in one week? Am I awesome or what? Thank you for everyone who reviewed, followed, favorite… **

**So a lot of you guys really liked Damien's character, and breathed a sigh of relief when Cato got mad, telling me he is finally the Cato they know. But I need to make a point here, of course Cato has anger issues, he's a beast and everything, but don't forget, he's a Mellark, so he has that soft side to him, but trust me, I am trying as hard as I can to not make him all mushy like Peeta, and that's what a lot of you have been complaining about. So if Cato may seem OOC in any chapter, tell me because I am trying to work on that.**

**Enjoy reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It all belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

Everyone is silent around the breakfast table. The mood is glum, everyone is really. Effie woke us up today with a heavy heart, lacking her usual cheeriness, I even saw tears glistening in her eyes when Cato unwrapped his arms from my waist. Haymitch was hammered as usual, and Cinna and Portia kept looking mine and Cato's intertwined hands, then looked at us with sorrowful eyes. It's too much, I can't handle it. They are looking at me like I don't have a chance of coming back at all. Have they no faith in me?

When I'm done and dressed in a black V-neck, khaki pants and boots, Cato knocks on my door, frowning.

"What's wrong?" I don't get a response, he just pushes me into the room and kisses me.

He's kissing me urgently, like one of us is going to die – and it's probably going to happen. He bites my bottom lip and I am quick to open my mouth, letting his tongue roam around. He's gripping my waist so hard, it's almost painful, but I don't mind, I won't be seeing him for a while in the arena, maybe never again, and I guess he can read my mind because he breaks away, looks me in the eye and says, "Don't think about it." A sense of bravery courses through me all of a sudden and I blurt out, "Make me forget." He moans sexily at me, sweeps me off my feet and pulls my mouth to his. I wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him back just as passionately. He easily hoists me up with one hand while the other is traveling up and down my back, and my hands are doing the same to his front. One of my hands lie above his heart and the other is playing with the hair on the back of his head. I pull him closer to me and he reacts instantly, slamming my back against the door.

Our moment is interrupted when Haymitch knocks on the door saying that we needed to get going.

With a heavy sigh, he puts me down, but not before he gives me another kiss that leaves me breathless and weak in the knees.

"We better leave." He says, but I fist my hands in his shirt, earning a couple few minutes with him.

"Cato, I swear I will find you in the arena. After a few days, I'll leave them and find you. Okay?" I ask. He nods slowly and whispers, "Okay."

"And if I don't come, don't look for me. It's for your own safety." I tell him. There's a pain in my chest, where my heart is, I guess it's my heart breaking.

"You can't honestly expect me to not look for you." He tells me, fist clenching at his sides.

"Yes, I do. We are on different teams now. So I suggest if you don't want to get yourself, Rue or Thresh killed, that you don't look for me." I look him directly in the eyes. The blue kind eyes that show no fear. The eyes that I seek calmness in whenever I am upset. The eyes of a person that I have come to accept in my life. The eyes of a friend. The eyes of an almost lover. The eyes of Cato Mellark.

He only groans in return and grabs me tighter in his arms.

"When you'll be kissing him, just think of me." He breathes huskily in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

"How can I not?" I tell him, and I think he finds comfort in these four words. "Let's go, Haymitch is probably drunk by now." I am reluctant to leave his arms, but I have to.

"Katniss, if anything happens to me, just know that I love you deeply." He says, holding on to my hand. I don't want to hear this. I don't want to hear him surrender before he's even in the Games. I put my thumb on his lips to silence him.

"Listen here, Cato Mellark. This is not goodbye. I will be seeing soon in the arena. Okay? I don't want to hear you talking like that. This is not goodbye. This is _not _goodbye." I say again and again, trying to convince myself more than convince him. Within these past couple of days, I have gotten closer to Cato, to the extant where there is no guilt anymore, to the point where the thought of losing him is unbearable. I don't think I am pretending anymore. I just don't know. I have never been in this kind of situation before, so I can't say if I am pretending or not. I still feel the same, but things between aren't the same. I mean, the looks, the smiles, the touches, the kisses, they all feel natural to me now, but are they enough proof the decipher my feelings for him? That's if there are any of them at all. It's probably due to us being close and inseparable. I guess time in the arena away from him will help clear out my mind.

"I know you will." He answers confidently, and I have nothing more to say, so I'm thankful for Haymitch calling us out rudely, saying that if we're decent and dressed, we should come out now. I nod at him, take one long glance, trying to memorize his features; spiky blond hair, blue eyes, dimple on his chin, before going out the door presumably to my death.

We're on the roof, ready to go onto the hovercraft taking us to the arena when Haymitch tells Cato to go without me. He casts one longing glance at me before turning around and joining the other tributes in the craft, without looking back. I briefly wonder what it would be like to have the roles swapped between us. How would I be handling it if the love of my life is together with me but has to be kissing another girl.

I shake my head from the thoughts, this is no time to be thinking about this.

_But this is your only way of survival_, my mind reminds me.

Balling my hands into fists, I turn to Haymitch to only find him looking at me pitifully, as if he knows what I'm thinking about.

"Alright sweetheart. Since you're with the Careers, you'll have to participate in the bloodbath." I swallow the huge lump forming in my throat. "I don't think you should take aim for any body parts that would mean a long and suffering death. Just shoot for the vital parts. It will be easier for you and the victims." He advices.

"Okay. Haymitch, I know that what I am about to ask is probably illegal, but you have to do this for me." I wait until he reluctantly nods. "I am going to leave the Careers to look for Cato and the others, I need you to tell me when it's necessary and safe to do so, because knowing Clove and Glimmer, they are already planning on how to kill me. So when they show any signs of betrayal, just let me know." I tell him. He looks at me doubtfully for a second.

"How am I going to do that?" He asks.

"Send a hidden message through a parachute or something. You'll figure something out."

"Okay, I will sweetheart." He tells me. "One more thing before you go; I believe in you, Katniss."

"Thank you, Haymitch." He pats my cheek roughly before sending me on my way.

Hopping on the craft, I see there's only one seat left, and it's next to the girl from 8. But before I take one step towards it, the small boy from 4 beats me to it. Looking around confused, I spot another empty seat, and it's right next to Damien. Great, he probably pushed the little boy into my seat to make me sit next to him. Huffing, I slide into the metal seat next to a smirking Damien.

Crossing my arms, I hear him say "Well, hello to you too."

"Hello, Damien." I say in my fakest sweet tone ever. I grip the handle of the seat hard when the craft roughly makes its way into the air. I grimace at the grins and enjoyment of the Career's faces.

"Aren't you excited?" He whispers in my ear.

"No." I reply disgustedly. In fact, I am terrified of dying the minute I step off the pedestal.

"Don't worry, I'll have your back." He says as if he can read my mind.

I let out a very unlady-like snort. "I find that hardly believable."

"And why is that?" he asks, shocked.

"Because I vaguely remember someone warning me yesterday to watch my back." I sneer at him.

Our bickering is interrupted when a woman in a white coat approaches me, carrying a syringe. "This is your tracker, Katniss." I wince when I feel the stab of the pain due to her inserting the tracking device under the skin of my forearm. "So the Gamemakers can trace you in the arena." Meaning so they can control the place around me, ultimately causing my death.

"So, we're going to be spending time together in the arena." He tries again.

"Save it, Damien. You dragged me into this and I don't want it." I am turned so I'm facing him. "Just know that whatever we'll be doing together in the arena will be meaningless to me. It's all a ruse."

Still smirking, he says, "Figured as much."

The silent ride lasts for another ten minutes then I am underground, being led by Peacekeepers to my Launch Room.

Cinna is waiting for me there, dressed black in black as always. He opens his arms wide and I leap into them.

"Everything's going to be alright." He says.

"How can you be so sure?" I ask, voice muffled by his shirt.

"Here's the thing, I am not. But you thought I was sure because you actually believe it."

"Damn my useless subconscious." I joke, letting out a laugh, but it comes out more like a strangled cry.

"Oh, I almost forgot." He says, fetching my Mockingjay pin from his pocket and fastening it on my shirt.

"I thought I lost it. Where did you find it?"

"I found it attached to your Parade costume." The golden pin is glistening against the neon lights of the room.

"Thank you Cinna, for everything." I say, really touched. I would have not been the girl on fire if it wasn't for him, and Damien wouldn't probably have an obsession in me, but that's beside the point.

"It was my pleasure, Katniss." I'm still holding his hand when a robotic voice announces that I should get into the glass tube in the corner of the room.

Turning around to go and stand on the plate, Cinna's hand that is still clasping mine stops me. He gathers me in a friendly hug, kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear, "I am not allowed to bet, but if I could, my money would be on you."

What he just said did wonders to me, it gave me a helpful boost. I enter the tube confidently, head held high.

"Good luck, girl on fire." Is the last thing I hear before the glass cylinder descends upon me. The Cinna does the unexpected, a gesture that has me touching my heart in gratitude, and will probably has me crying to sleep tonight – if I am not dead.

Cinna touches the three middle fingers of his left hand to his lips and holds it out to me.

And that's the last I see of him before rising. Halfway up, I can smell the fresh air hitting me in the face. It smells of pine trees and forest. Forest! I've never put much thought to what the arena might be, but now when I know it's a forest, I am convinced that I will be in the final eight. The forest is my home, more than my own house could ever be.

True enough, when the plate pushes me out all the way and my eyes adjust to the bright light, greenery fills my vision.

I look around. It's indeed a forest. Piney woods stretch out in front of my field of vision. In the center stands the golden Cornucopia, mouth filled with weapons. Strewn across the land are other weapons, bags filled with supplies. Four feet away from me rests a bow and a sheath of silvery arrows. _For me_, I think. I smirk at the chance of the bow being positioned in front of me. It's not fate, it's the Gamemakers.

After angling my body to sprint towards it as soon as the gong sounds, I start looking around. Catching Damien's eye, who's four tributes to my right, I nod at him, silently letting him know that I am ready. I know that the cameras are focusing on me right now, so I look to find the blond blue-eyed guy, seven tributes to my left, staring at me.

Tilting my head in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia, I mouth to him "_run"_. Nodding at me, he winks and stands, ready to get the sword next to him once the gong sounds.

It couldn't be a coincidence that I, Cato, Damien and the rest of the Careers got our preferred weapons in front of us.

We're waiting for the gong to sound, blood pumping and coursing in our veins. But instead of the gong this year, Claudius Templesmith's voice booms all around me, announcing the Games.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games begin!"

Everyone's running away from the Cornucopia except me and the four Careers. I grab the bow, notch an arrow lightening fast, silently apologize before letting the arrow fly, killing my first victim.

I feel no remorse. Yet.

Because there's only one rule in the Games.

Kill or be killed.

**I really really wanted to continue this, but if I did then you wouldn't have a chapter until next Sunday at the least. But do you like this? **

**How about that steamy scene at the beginning? That was my first ever steamy scene! I actually wrote it in class and showed it to my friend and she was like, and I quote "omg, didn't know you had it in you, kitten." :P **

**Also, I have an announcement to make. I am slightly pausing all my other stories and focusing on this one. Okay? **

**Next chapter will take a while, because, come on it's my first Hunger Games fic, and it's the Games, so I wanna make it as perfect as possible!**

**Please review. I think some of you think that I tell you that because I want reviews or whatever, and in fact, I do. They make me feel appreciated. It makes me happy when I know that people are reading my stories and leaving comment on them. It helps me write a whole lot more and better.**

**So please review.**

**Lots of love.**

**Line.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone. So I am going to make this short and straight to the point. I was extremely disappointed when I found out that I only got one review for the last chapter, and not only that but extremely pissed. I wasn't exactly planning on updating today, but I figured since I had most of it done, I'll do it. But don't expect the next chapter to be up before at least 2 weeks if I don't get a good amount of reviews. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It all belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

…**.**

**Read the AN if you haven't.**

…**.**

_Boom._

At the end, twelve tributes are down.

Eliminated.

Dead.

The female from 3, male from 4 (even though he's a Career), male from 5, both from 6, female from 7, both from 8, 9 and 10. Three of those twelve are my kills, and due to me constantly thinking about it, the guilt is bubbling in deeper, and even sooner than I thought.

I took the life of three kids who had family and friends waiting for them. Families are most likely mourning right now, cursing me, crying, wailing. I can't handle the guilt. I really can't. I am a monster. In my journey trying to get back home to Prim, I have lost myself. Will I do everything to go back to Prim, no matter who I step on along the way?

Could I really have changed that much in a number of hours into the Games? I really have no answer for that, but it seems like I did. A small part of my mind urges me, shoving me forward onto the path of guilt, saying that I changed days ago, not hours.

My hands tremble as I separate the supplies alongside Damien. I shake my head. I need to stop thinking about this, but I can't, not when my hands are drenched with the blood of my victims.

The bow is heavy in my hand when I stop helping and stand away from my fellow killers. I flinch when the arrow rattle in the quiver. The bow was a way of survival, and it stills is. The arrow that once killed a prey to satisfy a hunger, is satisfying a hunger for bloodlust this time.

I've been hanging out with Damien too much!

Said male interrupts my thoughts by standing in front of me, forcing me to look at him.

"So this is your super secret skill?" He asks softly, slightly smirking. Time to get into character.

"Yeah, it is." I smile.

"Why were you hiding it?" He asks.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." I say, smirking.

"Well, color me surprised." He grins. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"That's a story for another time." I wink.

"Damien." Glimmer calls impatiently. Even from this distance, I can still hear her whining and complaining tone, and it's not something that I want to hear. And I guess neither does Damien because he rolls his eyes and offers me his hand. I hesitate a bit, looking into his eyes and finding such intensity in them. There's also some undetectable warning there. He's warning me that we have an audience, that we must not fail them. His hand twitches slightly and I know that he's getting impatient and angry, so I put my hand in his, and intertwine my fingers through his for further satisfaction. He leads me over to the other Careers who're talking among themselves. Clove and Glimmer acted that I don't exist after the bloodbath, and Marvel… well, he's Marvel. Turns out that for a deadly Career, he's quite cool and goofy, but he still possesses the arrogance that is expected from a Career. He told me that his nickname back home was "Marvelous Marvel". I laughed at him for that, and told him that his friends were making fun of him and he chuckled at that. He's the coolest Career and I think that he's the one to hang out with while I am with them.

Glimmer jumps and stands in front of Damien, completely ignoring me.

"So what are we doing now?" She asks. Obviously the Careers have chosen him as their pack leader, and it makes sense. He's the strongest one, the most dangerous, the most arrogant one, he's fast and deadly. He's a born leader.

"We'll just wait until the sun goes down, then we'll start hunting." He simply says. I gulp down, hard. I am guessing that my definition of hunting is different from his. I won't kill more people. I refuse to, there's enough blood on my hands. I can't afford to shed more blood, to take more lives! My humanity is on the line!

Stepping forward to find a place to sit down, I hear Glimmer screech, pointing a finger at my bow.

"Why does _she _get the bow?" she says, tone condescending.

"Because she is good at it, and you're not." He deadpans. Is he defending me?

"How do you know she's good at it?" she challenges, crossing her arms on her chest.

"Trust me and shoot this." He says, grabbing an apple from inside the Cornucopia and throwing it forward with great force. I don't even think about it when I notch the arrow and let it fly until it hit the apple midair. Marvel jogs up to grab it once it hit the ground. With a low whistle, he walks towards us, dangling the arrow from the feathers, the apple stuck in the middle.

"You go, girl on fire." Praises Marvel. Clove looks slightly impressed, Damien looks proud, and Glimmer scowls at me, envy written on her facial features, and I smirk at her. Seeing the apple stuck in the arrow reminds me of what I did to the Gamemakers and the apple in the pig's mouth.

"Tell me now, Glimmer, is she worthy of holding the bow?" He asks cockily. In response, Glimmer stomps off like a small child. I retract the arrow from the apple, clean the juice off and place it back in the quiver with the other arrows, even the bloodied ones from my victims. I do not waste arrows. They equal life in this wretched place.

. . . . .

Once it's dark enough for Damien's taste, he orders us to get our stuffs and declares that it's time to start hunting. I freeze at the sound of that. I really don't want to go and witness them killing someone, because I will not end a life willingly again.

"Wait, shouldn't someone stay here and guard the supplies?" I ask, secretly hoping they will pick me to stay.

"Yeah, someone really should." Marvel agrees. Damien narrows his eyes at me, figuring out what I was thinking.

"Glimmer, Clove, you're both staying here." He says, never taking his eyes off of me.

"What? Why do I have to stay here?" Clove asks, shocked. I catch her hand twitching and going for the knife on her belt. She is probably going to aim one for my heart since I was the one who suggested that we have someone staying. Reflexively, I get an arrow ready in my bow to defend myself in case she tries to knife me.

"Because Glimmer isn't going to be any help with us whatsoever, and I need to make sure that she doesn't let anyone slip by her and steal anything from us. And you're worthy." He explains. She only huffs in return, scowls at me and goes inside the Cornucopia. He's lying, that's for sure. He doesn't want me here alone because he thinks that I might run away, and I probably would have.

I head to the lake near the Cornucopia to wash away the sticky blood from my arrows. Bending down on my knees, I plunge the arrows underwater and let it wash away every remains of blood. Feeling a presence, I turn my head to find Damien standing there, annoyance clear in his eyes. I think there's some confusion there too, but I couldn't tell.

"I know what you're trying to do." He says.

I decide to play it dumb and say, "What are you talking about? I am not trying to do anything." Fake confusion apparent in my voice.

"Katniss- " he starts to berate me like a disappointed parent, but he gets interrupted when Marvel suddenly appears behind him and asks him, "Damien, Clove is really pissed that she has to stay behind with Glimmer. She's complaining about why I don't have to stay, and honestly, I do as well."

"Because Glimmer is most likely to seduce you if you stayed, and you guys are going to end up making out, and not keeping guard like you're supposed to." Marvel lets out a laugh, not in the least offended.

"That's probably true. I have a weakness for beauty." He says and Damien snorts in return, and slaps him lightly on the arm, making him feign pain. I smile at their exchange. They seem like a couple of teenagers at the moment, having fun. They almost seem… innocent.

"Let's go." Damien says, forgetting about the conversation we were about to have. But I doubt that he forgot, he'll probably bring it up later and keep an eye on me during the hunt. On second thought, maybe this is good. If I caught sight of Cato or Rue or any member of my other alliance, I could distract Damien long enough for them to escape.

Walking in the dark forest, all of our senses are alert for any tributes that might come along the way, eyes set on Damien's muscular back, my mind starts to drift off. I think about Cato, wondering if he's safe or even alive. I know it's no way to be thinking like that, that he'd want me to stay positive, but I think I am allowed to worry a bit when we're in the Games and there's some ruthless people out there.

We're silent on the way, like literally. No crunches are heard when walking, we are stepping carefully over some fallen tree trunks, avoiding leaves and making any noise. For giant Careers, they are amazingly agile. We are successfully maintaining the element of surprise.

The silence is interrupted by Marvel joyfully pointing forward where smoke can be seen.

"God, how stupid can you be to light a fire?" Damien exclaims and I have to agree. It's like setting up a big sign with flashing lights pointing to you. Turns out that it was the tribute from 4, and upon seeing her, Damien's eyes lighten with glee, the smirk stretching across his face. He looks like a kid who just got his wish, and he probably did.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He taunts, approaching the girl. "Isn't it our fellow _Career _tribute?" He emphasizes the word "Career". He sounds angry, but it's well covered by his playfulness, and I know what's coming. I hate to be in her place. "Don't you know that lighting a fire would end up with Careers on your tale?"

"Of course I knew that." She spats.

"Then why'd you light it?"

"Maybe I wanted to die. We all know that I won't make it. I am dead anyways, I always was. Right?" She asks, and I stare at her open-mouthed. I can't believe she just said that. Marvel and Damien both know what it means, so he tries to change the subject.

"Why'd you run away, Cassie?" He asks, closing in on her. To her credit, she didn't even flinch when he's in her face.

"I had to since you killed my District partner."

"And I am not sorry for that. Nor for this." She didn't see it coming, but I did. He throws her back against the tree trunk by her neck, plunging the sword deep in her stomach. She takes a shocked breath in, her eyes wide.

I turn my back around to prevent myself from seeing Damien beating her for revenge. But that doesn't stop me from hearing her screams of agony, or the sound of his fists and legs connecting with her weak body. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to tune them out, but her screams keep on piercing through me. I have to think of something else, something peaceful, for me not to go there and beg Damien for mercy on her part. The last time that I actually felt at peace was when I was lying in Cato's, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest.

I savor that moment and hold on to it. His chin dimple, the little birth mark on his collarbone, the continuously strong beating of his heart, the way his skin would break out in goose bumps when I touch him in his sleep, the tightening of his arms around my waist when I try to remove myself from him, when he sighs in contempt when I nuzzle deep into him, the smile in his voice when he tells me he loves me before we go to sleep.

Just him.

I try to hold on to him.

Because he is my rock, even when he's away.

Because I miss him.

Because I might like him.

**I wanted to continue it, but decided against it, because you know. I write and pour my heart into this and you guys don't actually care. The simplest thing that you should do, you don't do it. **

**So I am going to ask you to review. Please. It means so much to me, it makes me feel appreciated and not the crappy writer that I am. Okay?**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, hey guys! Thank you all for the reviews and follows and favorites. I will address the issue in the AN down there. **

**I really feel that this is not my best chapter, but I had to give it to you.**

**Enjoy reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games series. It all belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

I am oblivious to the sound of the canon, spacing out, still a bit hung up on that thought.

I might like Cato.

It's a new revelation and I find myself going over it again and again.

I have never felt this way about someone else before, so I don't know how it actually feels. It's a brand new feeling, and I am just exploring it, like a toddler who's learning how to walk, but I must like him, that's the only way to explain the flipping my stomach does whenever we touch or lock eyes, or the course of satisfaction surging through me whenever we kiss. And as the truth dawns on me, a feeling of dread settles in my heart and chest.

I shouldn't be feeling like this when only one winner comes out, when he swore to protect me, to make me come out, when he swore that he would die. As much as I hear girls back home say that this is a heavenly feeling, that you don't see anyone beside that _special _someone, but I disagree. _This _– whatever this is – will be my downfall in the Games. I will never know for sure unless I am with Cato's presence again.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Damien whispers in my ear. "You've spaced out for almost five minutes now."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" I trail off, not knowing what to say without offending the Games or making obvious that I am lying, "overwhelmed." And it's true. He kisses my cheek and says, "I'm sorry, but you'll get used to it."

"I don't think I ever will." I say and before he can retort, I say, "Let's get going please," and start walking in front of him.

It scares me how much Damien can easily read me. I get a feeling that he never believes what I say. While the crowd might believe that I am unnerved because of the killing, I know for a fact that he knows that I am bluffing, but what calms me is that he is rendered frustrated by not knowing the cause of it. If he took a look inside of my brain, he'd kill me and Cato.

I don't know what made him this way, why he's so possessive and jealous, but I intend to find out why, I'll try to talk to him later, make him talk about his background. I will persist in finding out. Maybe before we go to sleep, I'll approach him about it quietly and get him to talk.

Too caught up in thinking and planning, I stumble on my own feet, almost hitting the rough ground face first if it wasn't for Damien's lightening fast reflexes, helping me and preventing me from falling.

"Kat, are you hurt?" he asks, voice laced with worry. I shake my head, still affected, eyes unfocussed. "Are you in shock?" he asks, but I am unable to respond, to even shake my head. I _am _in shock, because in front of my face, on the ground, there's a small boot print. And because it's so small and there's no one else, this must be Rue's, which means that they are close, or at least, they passed from here.

"Kat!" Marvel says, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"What?" I say, my eyes focusing on them. Marvel and Damien are standing side by side, anxiousness on both their faces. "I'm alright, just a little bit shaken up I guess. Come on, let's go." I say enthusiastically. Anything to drive them away from the trail.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Damien asks doubtfully. I nod at them. "Okay then." He says going the same way the trail is going.

Thankfully, both our paths don't cross, but we do come across another unlucky tribute. They toy with him for a little bit, but quickly get bored and stab him in the heart with Marvel's spear while I am standing idle, shutting the voices out.

Soon, when no tributes are found, Damien grows exasperated.

"I think we should stop and settle down for a bit." I dare to speak, because honestly, I am tired of walking around aimlessly.

"No." he says with finality. "We're continuing."

"Come on, man. We're really tired, and the sun is going to rise in a couple of hours. Let's just settle down, sleep and in the morning we'll go back to the Cornucopia to meet Clove and Glimmer." Marvel seconds. Seeing that he is overruled, Damien huffs, slumping down against a tree trunk. "Build a fire." He commands.

Rolling my eyes, Marvel and I both start grabbing some wood chunks and try making a fire, all the while, Damien is sulking.

Once the fire is crackling, I place my back pack down and sit next to Damien, shoulders almost touching. Thank God Marvel and I had the good sense to grab a bag before we left camp. We spend the entire time in comfortable silence, just us stretching out next to each other.

The trumpets accompanied with the anthem cuts the air and I look up, trying to see if anyone I know made the fourteen fallen images. None. No one. This means that Cato and Rue and Thresh are still alive. I breathe a sigh of relief and tilt my head back until it's resting on the trunk.

"Where's your dad?" He suddenly asks and I stiffen immediately. "I noticed that he wasn't at the reaping." He continues. I look down, picking on the dirt in my nails, uncomfortable with the topic. No one should know about my father and what a great man he was, but Haymitch's voice sounds in my head, telling me that it's a great opportunity for luring sponsors.

I hesitate a bit before answering, "He's… He's dead. Been dead for a few years now." I say, chocking back the tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He says, reaching for my hand. "How'd he die?"

"Mining accident." I say not missing a beat. "The mines exploded, killing a lot of good men."

"Tell me about him." He asks me.

"What's there to tell? He was a great man, loved my mother a lot, adored me and my sister. He's a great singer, mom once told me that when he sings, all the birds stop to listen. She also said I got his voice.

"What else? I got his looks, but Prim really embodies what he is. He was charming, smart, caring, sweet, and generous. Everything one should be. I loved him lots, and I miss him in my life." Tears are running freely down my cheeks now. Damien reaches his hands and wipes away the salty liquid with his thumb.

"For what it's worth, I'm sure that he is proud of you now." He says before brushing his lips over mine. His lips are surprisingly soft and welcoming. I'm about to pull away when a voice in my head urges me to kiss back. I have to. I _have _to. I imagine Cato in front of me and I kiss Damien the way I would've kissed Cato after discovering the new information.

He reacts quickly when seeing my reaction, lifting me up and setting me on his lap so I'm straddling him, hands firm on my waist. Without warning, I open my mouth and let his tongue in, letting it discover every inch of it.

Kissing passionately, we only break apart when Marvel's snore fills the air.

We lay next to each other, breathing heavily, awkwardness thick in the air. From the corner of my eye, I see him running his finger across his lips.

"Wow." He says at the same time I almost shout, "We should go to sleep."

"You should, I'm going to keep watch." He says. I just take my sleeping bag away from him and laying it next to Marvel. "Well wake me up when you're tired."

Across the fire, I hear him let out a throaty chuckle. "Goodnight beautiful." He says smiling. I don't reply, I just lay there, eyes open waiting until sleep finds me.

...

_I am standing in a field, dressed in white. I look around, but the only thing I find is knee-high green grass, glistening in the sun. Beats of sweat break out on my forehead and I reach my hand to wipe them, but just smudge my face with blood. My hands are tainted with blood, my once white dress in now all red and sticking to my body._

_I want to freak out, to scream, but I can't. I am paralyzed with fear. All of a sudden, the tributes I killed appear in front of me – the male from 6, the females from 7 and 9, arrows sticking out from their bodies, battle scars on their faces, arms, anywhere visible. Needless to say, they look mutilated. They're approaching me slowly, in sync, like they are one._

_"You killed us." They say together. My legs are finally cooperative, and I shout walking backwards, desperately saying, "I had to do it. I had to, to go back to Prim!"_

_They speak again, in unison, but this time in Prim's voice, "I wouldn't want you to kill to come back to me." I want to defend myself, to say that I did it for Prim, to go back to her, that I had no choice, but the scenery changes._

_I'm still in the field, but wearing my arena clothes, and at the edge of the field stands a tall figure. Cato._

_I run to him. I want to leap into his arms, to kiss him feverishly, and he wants it too because his mouth is pulled into a wide grin, arms wide open. But halfway there, I stop, hearing a voice, a small one. Rue._

_"Psst, Katniss." She whispers. "Wake up. Wake up. I'm waiting for you." It's not only her voice, but more than one's. They're all yelling "Wake up", sound grazing against my ears, making them bleed._

_I fall to the ground covering my ears. I don't know if it's because of my cries, or because of the intensity of the screams, but the earth starts shacking, and I hold on to the last piece of sanity I have left._

_"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!"_

"Katniss, wake up!" I instantly open my eyes, Marvel's face floating into my vision.

"You were trashing around in your sleep. I thought I'd wake you up." He says. Oh, I was dreaming. Well it seemed real enough. I shudder a bit when remembering the soulless people from my dream.

"Want to talk about it?" He asks me, handing me a beef strip from his bag. I accept it greedily, I'm starving.

"Not really." I answer. I see that Damien is asleep, using his arm as a pillow, the sword next to him. He looks so calm with his curls in his eyes, dreaming peacefully. He seems so innocent, not so Damien-ish, not the brutal killer he is in his wake. He looks beautiful.

I avert my eyes to the cooling ambers that previously were the fire. The sun already rose. Approximately, I think it's seven in the morning. "How long have you been awake?" I ask.

"Three and a half hours. Give or take a few." He says, yawning.

"You should sleep again. I'll keep watch." I offer. Not that anyone would be idiotic enough to attack a bunch of Careers.

"No, I can't. Damien told me to keep watch." He says, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I'll tell him I woke up to keep watch. Okay?" I tell him.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Go to sleep Marvel." I demand.

"Goodnight."

He sets his sleeping bag next to Damien's and it doesn't take him long to snore, indicating that he's asleep.

To avoid boredom, I get my bow and start twirling some arrows between my fingers. My eyes land on Damien and Marvel sleeping next to each other, and I can't help but make a comparison between the two of them.

Marvel is a bit lanky, you wouldn't expect him to be a Career unless you see him using his spear or in hand to hand combat. When I first met him, I thought he was a creep, but it turns out that he is not. He is really cool, fun and humble.

While Damien might look innocent, he isn't. He gives off that appearance, but when put in a difficult situation, he won't hesitate to slaughter. He's smart, calculated, he does nothing that he hasn't thought about. He's ruthless.

I guess looks can really be deceiving.

I almost scream when a pebble makes its way to my lap. I look up only to find Rue perched on a branch like a bird. I smile at her, a real smile, and mouth to her "follow me". Even though I won't be leaving, I take the bow with me anyways, you never know who we may encounter.

After five minutes, I stop walking. I don't want to get too far away from the location.

"Rue?" I whisper when I don't see her up in the trees. "Rue?" I whisper- yell again. Instantly, there are tiny arms hugging me from the back.

"Katniss!"

"Hey." I say, crouching down and hugging her. "Are you guys alright? Are you all safe? Is anyone hurt? Did you get supplies?" Words rush out of my mouth without my permission.

"Calm down, Katniss." She laughs. "We're all alright. Cato's been whiney all the time." I share a laugh with her at that. "He's kind of annoying. I had to stop Thresh from beating him up almost three times!" she exclaims, giggling. "He misses you. A lot!"

"I know," I say, looking down. "tell him I miss him too."

"What? You're not coming with me?" she asks, shocked.

"I'm not. I have to stay for a little bit with them." I expected her to put up a fight, to at least ask why, like the twelve year old she is, but she doesn't. She just falls back into my embrace.

"Okay." She says in a small voice.

"Where are you guys staying?" I ask.

"There's a lake nearby, you just walk next to it for a bit and you'll find a cave. We're staying there."

"I'll come find you guys in two days." I say. "Come on, you should get going."

"Bye, Kat."

"Bye, Rue." Kissing her forehead, I let her go.

I take my time going back, I am not ready to be around Damien, especially after that kiss. A part of my brain nags at me, saying that it's the reason why I didn't go back with Rue. I don't know what to make of it, and I don't even want to think about it.

I stop, hearing a rustle behind the bushes. I ready my bow and notch an arrow. All my senses are on alert. I approach the noise quickly and soundlessly, waiting for the source of it to pop out. A huge rabbit jumps through the bushes, and it takes it two seconds to fall to the ground, the arrow sticking out of its eye. I just caught breakfast. I haul it up by the ears and fasten it onto my belt.

Walking back to our little camp, I come face to face with Damien. He looks calm, but slightly worried.

"Where have you been?" he says, pulling me into his massive arms.

"I was feeling sleepy, so I went and hunted." I say wiggling out and showing him the rabbit.

"I was so worried that you left." He says, and I detect real fear in his voice.

"I wouldn't leave you." I smile, reaching up and kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Let's wake Marvel up, I caught us breakfast."

…

When we're all finished eating, we grab our stuff and make our way back to the Cornucopia.

We didn't even see it coming. One minute, we're walking, the next, fire is engulfing us three. We're trapped by fallen, flaming trees.

My head swings from side to side, seeking an escape. I think I find one when I see a small ball of light getting bigger and bigger, coming my way.

Oh crap!

I'm too late to react, and the ball grazes my left side, from my waist down. I scream in agony when the fire burns through my clothes and reaching my skin. It quickly reddens and sizzles, burning through my core.

"Help her!" I hear a voice shout, but I am not sure if it's Marvel or Damien. I have lost focus because of the blinding pain. The dark is taking over the edges of my vision, and the feeling of being lifted off the ground and being held in someone's arms are the last thing I am aware of before blacking out.

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**Hey everyone, again. I would like to thank you for the amazing amount of reviews I got for the last chapter, and I understand where all of you are coming from. You say that you don't know what to say, or what you're going to say is said by others, but it doesn't matter. Just a simple "Good job" would make my day, no matter how many times it is said.**

**But my problem is, that you assume when you don't review others do. That's not the case. Everyone thinks that and no one reviews. I barely get 5 reviews per chapter. And that's hard. It makes me feel like I am a bad writer, like really.**

**All I am asking of you is to just review. A simple "I like it" or "Update soon" would make me write the chapter faster! So please review. Please. I am begging you guys! Unless you don't like the story...**

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed and stuck with me and this story, I love you all. We're now at 85 reviews, think we can make to 100 before chapter 15? Please make it happen! The 100****th**** reviewer will get to decide what happens later on in the story. And yes, I am blackmailing you guys.**

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	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! Thank you for the amazing amount of reviews I got. I really appreciate every single one of them. I look at my inbox in the morning before I go to school, and reading each and every one of them makes me smile before going to hell.**

**Also, yay for early update! I managed to finish this at school today since I had no important classes. XD I personally loved this chapter and I think you'll like it too. It has some of Damien's history so you can understand him better. Speaking of him, some of you like him, and some of you don't. Some of you actually ship him with Katniss more than Cato and Katniss!:D **

**Anyway, let's get to reading.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

I'm floating in and out of consciousness, on the brink of waking up, but what brings me back is the gentle touch of a hand on my forehead. I lazily open my eyes. Damien is sitting next to my laying form, sweeping the air off of my face, while looking on to where Clove and Marvel are arguing. He looks so tranquilize and I don't want to disturb him, so I close my eyes and pretend to be unconscious again.

His lips press against my forehead for a bit before saying, "I know you're awake. No need to pretend." I open my eyes and look up at him. His face is a little blackened because of the smoke and flakes of ash are stuck in his curls. "You've been unconscious for a while now, are you still hurting?"

I reach my hand out and touch my flaming thigh, and at the contact, pain shoots through my leg. I curse under my breath and try to sit up to see my injuries. "I wouldn't if I were you." He says at the same time I let out an agonized cry, gaining the attention of the Careers. Marvel hurries to my side while Clove and Glimmer slowly walk over.

"God, that fucking hurts!" I exclaim, tears welling up in my eyes. "Can you guys help me sit up?" I ask and they both nod.

After a lot of grunts, screams and tears later, I'm propped up in front of the Cornucopia. I look down on my side to find my wait, thigh and calf poorly wrapped up with gauze.

"That's the best I could do. We don't have the right medicine we need to help in the Cornucopia." He says. "I don't know why your mentor hasn't sent it to you yet."

"He's probably drunk." I say, and he cracks a smile. There's a little part of my brain reminding me that I still shouldn't get close to him, that maybe he's pretending to be nice, but there's something about him that makes me want to believe him, that he's truthful. Even though I want to stay away from him, supposed to stay away from him, I am still drawn to him. I should stop hanging out with him, maybe have Marvel keep me company.

Speaking of which… "Why were Marvel and Clove arguing?"

"When we got back, Clove and Glimmer both wanted to get rid of you, saying that you're a weakling, that you'll only slow us down, but he fought with them. He said that you are one of us, and we don't kill one of us so early in the Games." He says, and I feel a little disappointed. Didn't he defend me?!

"And what did you say?" I ask.

He looks over at me, his green eyes holding my gray ones. "I told them if anyone touched you they're dead." He says, his head leaning forward. I close the gap between us and kiss him.

"What are you doing to me?" He breathes.

"Making you human." I whisper. We're about to kiss again when something beeping above catches our attention. It's a parachute with the number 12 on it.

I guess Haymitch thinks I am doing a good job.

"Looks like your mentor isn't drunk after all." He says when he retrieves the parachute, handing it to me. I stare at it for a while, does it have a secret message behind it? "Well open it already!" He says impatiently. I do, and inside awaits me a small metal container with a note on it.

_Apply generously, sweetheart. _

_And I would stay away from those girls. Find an escape soon, the crowd is getting bored and wants you with Cato._

_Good job, sweetheart._

_ -H_

I smile a bit before putting the note in my good pocket.

"Thank you, Haymitch." I say, directing it towards the fake sky that the Gamemakers have made. "Can you help me put this?" I ask Damien, handing him the container full of ointment. I clench my fists hard, reading for the pain that is about to come, but there's none. I sigh in delight when the ointment meets my skin. Instant relief.

Thank you Haymitch!

As soon as Damien finished spreading it, he takes a new cloth of gauze and wraps it tightly around the burn.

"There you go." He says once finishing.

"Thanks." I say.

"No problem." He replies leaning over and kissing my forehead. "But you'll have to rest for the day."

Marvel approaches us saying, "We're going hunting, are you in?"

Damien looks at me, and I can see the wheels in his mind working, deciding.

"No, you can go on without me." Marvel only shrugs, turns around and joins the girls.

"You don't have to stay with me." I say.

"I know, but I want to."

We sit in comfortable silence for a bit, my head propped up on his shoulder, his arms around me. I decide to break the silence and ask him about himself. "How come you know about me and my family when I don't know about yours?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

"Why not?"

He sighs, slightly bumping his forehead to mine. "Because my family… Well, it's mine. No know should know about them." He says.

"Even me?"

"Especially you."

"Come on. What are you afraid of? I'm not going to, I am in no place to anyway." I say.

"Fine. Well, as you know, I'm from District 2. My family is one of the wealthiest in the district. My grandfather is a weapon inventor and my dad is the Head Peacekeeper there. The men of the family are tough, violent, and my mom was sweet, caring, and extremely beautiful. All in all, she was one of a kind. She raised me and my older brother and young sister right, she didn't want any of any of her children to be part of the Games, but my dad wanted and still wants, pride, glory and honor – even though he has plenty of that. Even though my parents had their differences, we were a happy family. I have a lot of memories of us having picnics together when it would be warm enough. I was a happy kid.

"When dad wanted to enroll Ky, my older brother, in the academy and mom refused, he started hitting her. She put up with it though. She was brave. She was dauntless. My brother was picked to volunteer in his final year, but jealous opponents ambushed him and beat him so he wouldn't be able to volunteer.

"It was my turn then to start training, but again, mom put her foot down. But she didn't do it the right way, she threatened him to walk away with us, and he lost his mind. They were fighting on top of the stairs and she tripped. She snapped her neck falling down. She was three months pregnant at the time."

He stops, getting a forlorn look in his eyes, just like mom did whenever she thought or talked about dad. I know there's nothing I can do or say right now that will make him feel better. He needs time. I learned from experience. I grab his hand and start playing with his fingers.

"I was nine when she died, and my little sister Dora was two. So after her death, I became this bitter child that hated everyone and everything, and it didn't help that my father remarried a year after her death. What was worse was that Veronica, my step mother, wanted me to go to the academy and train, so my dad sent me there. I didn't object, because if I did he'd send Veronica there as soon as she turned five. I didn't want her to be put in this situation.

"At the academy, I was picked on a lot because I was scrawny, and because I was motherless. When I've had enough of the bullying, I crammed up all my emotions in a box, ignored them and focused on one feeling, hate. It was all I needed, all I wanted, to get by. I worked long and hard to get here and I am not going to blow it up." He closes his eyes and tilts his head back. "At least, I used to think that, until I met you." He whispers and never says anything again. After a while of silence, I think that he's sleeping.

"She would've liked you." He says. "You remind me of her."

"How so?"

"You're pure, feisty, you hold on to what you believe in, and you always protect your loved ones." He turns his gaze on me. "And you're beautiful like her."

We're leaning again to kiss, both eager, but the sound of a canon pulls us away from each other. We look up to the sky to see the face of the little boy from 3. I shudder at the thought of who killed him and how.

"Let's sleep. You must be tired." He says setting up a big sleeping back next to me. I don't argue, stifling a yawn. I limp my way to it, lying down again. He takes his place next to me, zipping us up, with me lying on my right side so my left is in the air.

"Shouldn't one of us keep watch?" I ask.

"No, no one is stupid enough to rob us." He answers, pulling me closer and putting his arm above my waist, careful not to touch it.

"Thank you for telling me about yourself." I murmur.

"It's only fair." He says, kissing my head. I rest my head on his chest, clutching his shirt, the even sound of his beating heart lulling me to sleep.

…

"Wake up lovebirds."

We're woken up by Marvel glumly shaking Damien, therefore shaking me as well.

"What's wrong with you?" Damien sleepily mumbles, tightening his grip around me.

"We only got one tribute." Clove says tightly, approaching us.

"Maybe that's because you killed all the tributes at the bloodbath." I say, sitting up.

She scowls at me. "Don't forget you killed three with us, fire girl." She says, voice clipped. I find nothing to throw at her, both verbally and physically, so I only glare at her. She meets it with one of her own, challenging me.

"Chill Clove," says Damien rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gets up, helping me stand up. "Can you walk?" I nod, pulling the sheath of arrows across my back, holding my bow tightly in my hands.

Glimmer is exceptionally quiet when we all go and sit outside the Cornucopia, munching on food, and I find some unnecessary satisfaction in knowing it's because of seeing Damien and I tangled in each other's arms.

The sound of static makes us all stand up, dropping the food and readying our weapons. We don't relax even when the trumpets sound and Claudius Templesmith's voice booms across the arena.

"Tributes, the previous rule of one victor have been revoked. Two victors can be crowned if one is a girl and the other is a boy." He pauses, letting it sink in. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be _ever _in your favor."

We're all standing still, mulling this over and over again.

There can be two victors. Immediately, Cato's face pops into my mind, and I instantly make my decision. I need to find Cato. I look over at Damien and he stares back. He knows what's coming next.

He looks at me, like he can see into my soul, different emotions crossing his face. Anger, betrayal, worry, hurt. Pain. He shakes his head at me, reaching his hand out as I slowly back away from them. I grab the little backpack I always keep next to me, eyeing the others. I see Clove reaching for her belt and I ready my bow in return.

This is it.

But instead of throwing it at me, she sends it in Glimmer's way, planting itself in her stomach, and I take this as my cue to leave. I see Clove's blood lustful eyes turn on me and I turn my back to her, raising my back pack to protect my head and start running off.

The force of the knife's impact hitting the pack almost sends me tumbling down, but I hold my grounds.

"Thank you for the knife." I yell over my shoulder.

"You little bitch! I'll show you!" she screams frustrated.

"Clove no! Katniss! Please wait!" Damien screams and I hear him coming after me. I start running faster until I'm winded up, but his thundering footsteps never cease.

I stop fully, swinging my head from side to side, until I find a sturdy-looking tree, and start climbing it. It's hard with my not fully healed leg, but I manage. I sit on a strong branch, waiting until my labored breath slows down.

Damien stops by my tree, looking around, no weapon on him.

"Katniss!" he yells, probably attracting the attention of other tributes. When he hears no reply, he kicks the tree next to me and it swings back and forth from the forceful attack. Something about seeing him this way, because of me, brings a whole new level of uneasiness and guilt to my stomach. He takes off, sprinting in the opposite direction.

I quickly climb down and start searching for the lake, a grin plastered on my face.

Cato and I can go home together! This way, I'll be keeping every promise I ever made!

Cato, I'm coming.

**YAY! Early Catoniss reunion! How about that?!:D I actually had a plot twist planned but this just came out. I wanted Katniss to realize that Clove loves Damien, which would end up in her kissing him and Katniss running away. Which one do you think is better?**

**By the way, I actually hit 100 reviews, but the reviewer was a guest, so I am picking the one after. It's Janebra. Thank you for reviewing, and if you have any ideas, or something that you want to see happening, leave it in your review or PM me so we can talk. J**

**And if you guys have anything that you want to see happening, please do not be afraid of telling me so, okay?:)**

**Review please.**

**Love.**

**Line. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys. I am so terribly sorry for my too long absence. I had finals and shit happening in my life and health problems, but I'm back now. Anyways, this chapter isn't my finest, but I hope you guys will like it.**

**Thank you for all your reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games series. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

I crouch down, touching the mud with my fingers. There's water nearby, which means I am getting closer.

I have been walking for hours non-stop trying to find Cato and the others, all the while Damien's face planted in my mind. His face was exploding with so many expressions and emotions – it went through all of them – until it settled on hurt. I don't really understand why though. He is faking. But that statement brings an unwanted question to the very front of my mind, making me halt in my steps.

Maybe he's not lying? Maybe he's truthful?

My brain is split into two contradicting parts. One is believing that Damien is truthful in his actions and feelings, that he wouldn't have opened up to me and told me about his past and family otherwise, the look in his eyes, those are hard to fake. Maybe that's why Cato believed me. Maybe the look in my eyes – unknown to me – was just enough to convince him.

But the other one is opposing saying that what Damien did before the Games was not an act, that he really is evil, That a few words he said shouldn't fool me into thinking that he's something that he isn't. It's screaming at me to not believe him, lifting me up and knocking me down with its intensity. It's like a part of my brain is blowing and then deflating, pressing against my skull, rendering me light headed and confused.

It's a raging war inside of my brain, one with no winner. I am breathing heavily, heart pounding hard against my ribcage, my leg and side hurting me again, so I decide to climb a tree and sleep. My stomach growls hungrily, I almost forgot that I didn't get much to eat before I escaped. I set up snares close to my chosen tree, aware of the fact that no cannon have sounded yet. Maybe Glimmer isn't dead yet, maybe Clove's knife didn't wound her deeply like I thought. I just have to wait a few more hours to check.

I climb the tree, strapping myself to it with a rope from the pack. I lock my eyes on a spot in front of me and wait for drowsiness to consume me.

. . . .

I wake up with a start from another dream. I was in the middle of that field, the sun shining down on me, with Cato on one side of it while Damien was on the other. Both were trying to get me to come to them, yelling my name. Whenever I tried moving to one side, I got pushed back by some invisible force to my previous spot. Both Cato and Damien were waiting impatiently, but I couldn't get to either. In the end, I just crumbled down to the ground, covering my ears with the palms of my hands, trying to block out their shouts.

I try to analyze the meaning of it, but I come up with nothing. I can't find a reason for this dream to even lurk in the back of my consciousness. It's my own head playing mind games on me now.

Sighing heavily, I untie the rope from the branch, intending to continue my quest. Looking up at the sky, I recall not hearing the anthem or seeing Glimmer's face projected in the sky. This causes the unsettling feeling to dig its way into my chest and tangles itself in the pit of my stomach again. I have to find the others.

The Capitol could be pulling one on us for all I know. Disorient us so they can do the citizens a favor. The more helpless we are, the more fun they have, the more worry and anxiousness haunts the contestants' families. A mother or a father not knowing if their kid is alive or not. It's sick, really. Don't they realize that people are dying just for their entertainment? Kids no less. Don't they understand, or are they just too blind to see?

A part of me says that that's the way they've been raised, that they don't know what's right from wrong. But another part tells me that you don't have to be blind or mentally incapable to realize that slaughter is wrong. But you can't really blame them. Those are the people that live to gossip, that breathe fashion, the same people that go under operation to tattoo their breasts and dye their skins.

They are walking circus animals and I chastise myself for even thinking that a minimal amount of humanity may exist in them.

And of course, behind every hoard of evil people, stands an eviler leader. President Snow, the single person behind all the corruption in Panem. The man behind the starvation in the Districts. The man behind the Games.

I sometimes wonder that if it wasn't for the rebellion, would he find another reason to establish the Games? I'm sure he would. Does he honestly think that he can make kids kill each other, without another rebellion brewing?

. . . .

It doesn't take long to reach the place where Rue and I met, but of course, it's deserted. I recall her saying that there was a lake nearby and a cave close to it.

I keep walking and don't stop until a trickling sound resonates in my ears. I emerge from some lush green bushes to find water. Plenty of it.

The lake curves in on itself, completing a bad-shaped circle, filled with muddy rocks and algae. Some rocks are pilled at the edge of the stream, forming a natural bridge to land. It's like fate, but I know no such thing exists in the Games. It's all thanks to the Gamemakers.

I put my foot on the first rock, testing it. It seems steady enough. I climb on it, balancing myself. I take a deep breath in, convincing myself that I can do this. I'm quiet and agile, this is similar to the broken branches I used to walk on in the woods.

_But there, in the woods, was grass and leafs to cushion your fall. Here you have an angry stream that can kill you, _my mind tells me.

I slowly shake my head to get rid of the thoughts, and take another step onto the next rock. It sways a bit under my weight, but otherwise remains put. I smile exultantly as I reach my foot to place it onto the next sturdy-looking rock. But it's dropped as soon as the rock gives way and crumbles, sending me into the violent part of the stream.

I hit the water face first, and I don't have time to take a breath before water fills my vision, my nose, even my lungs. Water everywhere. Every time I try to surface above the water, I get knocked back down. The stream throws me against some rocks, and I at least have the energy to hold on to them. I close my eyes, coughing water up and shaking my head. I look around me and I take a moment before diving and navigating my way through the water towards land. When I used to swim back home, it was easy because I was swimming in a quiet lake, not a violent stream.

I cut through the water, my muscles burning, making my way to land and pulling myself up. I bend down on my knees and cough water up. I remove the sheath of arrows, inspecting them. Thankfully, they're still intact

I walk downstream until I spot some rocks forming a cave-like structure. I look a little bit closer and see some vines tangled around each other, effectively hiding the mouth of the cave. To anyone else, this might seem like a work of nature, but if you look really close, you'll see the tiny handmade details. This is human work. I step closer to it, slowly moving the vines aside and peering inside. Three sleeping bags are laid there, a water canteen thrown to the side, and if you look carefully, a little shadow. Rue.

I'm about to open my mouth and say something to gain their attention, when a twig nearby snaps. I quickly – and silently – climb up a tree and watch as both Cato and Thresh walk out the cave with their weapons. My heart almost skips a beat with joy at the sight of Cato, and it takes all of my will not to jump down and run towards him.

He's suddenly tackled by the District 7 boy, throwing him to the ground. But Cato is quick to recover, flipping them over and throwing a punch to the boy's nose, his sword laying aside. Even when the boy's face is bloodied, he manages to punch Cato in the face, throwing him off balance and landing on top of him. Thankfully, Thresh is there to interfere and lift the boy up by his collar just in time for the boy's elbow to connect with his face.

Seeing that the boy is crazed with blood thirst, I quickly notch an arrow, aiming it at his heart, and let it fly as his knife tries to meet Cato's shoulder, but he sees it coming, and ducks as the knife lodges itself in a tree trunk.

The boy crumbles to the ground, his eyes wide in shock, blood drizzling from his wound. Cato grunts as Thresh helps him up. They both are looking around, trying to determine the source of the arrow when I gracefully hop down from the tree with a small thud.

I barely have time to register happiness on Cato's face – and confusion on Thresh's – before I'm pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"Katniss," he breathes in, almost as if he can't believe it himself, and it brings a smile to my lips. I didn't realize how much I missed him until now. His voice is like a swallow of pure gladness all through me.

"Hey, Cat-" He cuts me off, pressing his lips to mine urgently, igniting a fire within me only he can stop. He surrounds every corner of my consciousness, warm and solid and all-encompassing.

He breaks away first, having to take quick, shallow breaths through his red, swollen lips. A smile tugs on the corners of his lips as he leans in, close to my ear, where he whispers a barely audible "I love you."

Intertwining his fingers through mine, his smile turns into a cocky smirk as he perceives the small blush creeping onto my cheeks. This time, my heart doesn't skip, it jumps. It leaps from his contact.

My cheeks burn darker red, spreading across my cheeks as I remember that not only we have one audience, but two. Smiling sheepishly, I turn to Thresh, who's trying to look anywhere but us. It's hard to tell with the slight distance between us, and his dark skin tone, but I think that the tiniest red shade adorns his cheeks in discomfort.

Cato clears his throat, making Thresh's eyes flicker to us, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips, before it disappears, an alarming expression taking over his features. His gaze drops to the boy I killed and the alarm pouring off of Thresh reaches me, and my own eyes widen in return. I turn to Cato to see if he caught up yet, but utter obliviousness aligns his features.

I drop his hand, crossing towards the slumped body on the ground. Bending down, I press two fingers to the pulse point in his neck, but there's no thumping in the vein. I look up at Thresh, whose eyebrows are raised in question. "He's gone." I say, confirming his thoughts. I close the boy's eyes with my fingers, making sure not to sneak a peek at them, to see the blame and accusation in them.

Still crouching down, I blink slowly, trying to clear my head.

The boy has been dead for approximately four minutes now, but there's no canon.

**How is it? Good? Bad? Shitty? I'm really sorry, I had this terrible writer's block. And I want to thank you guys for getting this story to 10.1 k views. :)**

**I want to thank sundragons9 for giving me the best idea to write, because if it wasn't for her, this story would probably be the stinky and usual Catoniss story, but it's not, so thank you. :3**

**Thank you all for reading, review please.**

**Love. **

**Line.**


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